And Hermon's bees their honeyed stores prepare, And we shall kneel again in thankful prayer, Where o'er the cherub-seated God full blazed the irradiate dome. HENRY HART MILMAN (1791-1868). THE PRAYER OF JABEZ. SURROUNDED by a tangled wilderness Of barren names, one flower makes sweet the air, One name illustrious for a single prayer For evermore. "Oh, that Thou wouldest bless, Guide, help me, and with kindly hand repress Earth's pricking briers and thorns of daily care!" His prayer was granted, and God blessed him there, And crowned his prosperous years with happiness. The flower has passed away, but not the sweetness Breathing for ever from that one request Which gave a life its colour and completeness: Oh! may my life, in its unfolding story, With ceaseless dews of faithful prayer be blest, And yield to God a fragrance and a glory! RICHARD WILTON (1827-). DAVID'S THANKSGIVING. (I. Chron. xxix: 10.) I. OH, LORD, our everlasting God! Bliss, Greatness, Power, and Praise is thine: With thee have conquests their abode, And thou for head o'er all art plac'd. 2. Thou wealth and honour dost command; To thee made subject all things be: Both strength and power are in thine hand, To be dispos'd as pleaseth thee. And now to thee, our God, therefore, A Song of Thankfulness we frame; (That what we owe we may restore,) And glorify thy glorious Name. 3. But what, or who, are we (alas) That we in giving are so free! Thine own before, our offering was, And all we have we have from thee. For we are guests and strangers here, As were our fathers in thy sight; Our days but shadow-like appear, And suddenly they take their flight. 4. This offering, Lord our God, which thus We for our namesake have bestown, Derived was from thee to us; And that we give is all thine own. Oh God! thou prov'st the heart, we know, And dost affect uprightness there; With gladness, therefore, we bestow What we have freely offered here. 5. Still thou (O Lord our God) incline JEHOSHAPHAT'S DELIVERANCE. (II. Chron. xx.) JEHOSHAPHAT reigned over Judah in peace; The land lay in quiet and teemed with increase; For righteousness ruled from the cot to the throne, And Judah rejoiced in Jehovah alone. For, Baal's base worship once hurled from God's land, Prosperity poured from His liberal hand; The law was revered and the Temple restored; And Salem shone bright in the smile of her Lord. Then came a swift message of terror and fear: Lo, Moab, and Ammon, and Edom from Seir, Have swarmed from the desert, a numberless host, To pillage our cities and plunder our coast! A black cloud of evil, a whirlwind of fate, One day's rapid march from Jerusalem's gate; Like locusts they light upon Judah's fair realm! Like demons descend to devour and o'erwhelm! Then trembling Jehoshaphat feared and proclaimed A fast for all Judah; and sacrifice flamed, And Judah's strong warriors, with children, and wives, In the house of Jehovah implored for their lives. "Lord God of our fathers, in Heaven adored, Thou rulest on earth, our Omnipotent Lord; Fierce kingdoms of heathen obey Thy command! The might of Thy majesty none can withstand! "Art Thou not our God, who has sworn to defend Forever the children of Abrah'm Thy friend? Who gave us this land, and forbade us to slay These children of Lot, who would make us their prey? "Behold in Thy presence our little ones stand, Like lambs in the fold when the wolf is at hand! |