POETRY.

91

GOD INCARNATE.

Wherefore bends the lofty sky;

Wherefore bow the heavens above? They bend to bring salvation nigh,

Beneath the God of love.

In his office character,

Once by cherubim pourtray'd ; See the eternal Son appear,

For man, Messiah made.

Swift on the wings of love and grace,
He flies to save our ruined race.

But is this the Lord Most High,

Whom the hosts of heaven adore? A Son of mean obscurity,

Companion of the poor!

Dark the clouds around him spread
Their deep mysterious night,
Humanity's encircling shade

Obscures the God of light.

Few eyes beneath that humble veil,
The Lord supreme, Jehovah, hail.

But the great Redeemer speaks;
Now his attributes unfold:
Now at once the darkness breaks
The living God behold!
Irresistable as fire,

To the heart his doctrine flies;
Let the wondering world admire,
And hail him, Only Wise.
Ye clouds of doubt and darkness, fly
Before the present Deity.

Hark! the Highest gives His voice,

From his eternal throne;

"This is the Saviour of my choice, My own beloved Son."

Thus by God the Father named,
By the Holy Spirit seal'd,
By his matchless works proclaim'd,
The Saviour stands reveal'd.

Swift to redeem, and strong to save,
The souls, the Father to him gave.

By Jehovah's power divine,

All his foes shall prostrate lie;
Each close thought and dark design,
All open to his eye.

But from waves of guilt and grief,
Christ will hear his people's sighs;
His strong arm shall bring relief,
His love shall bid them rise.

Blest souls! who by their Saviour God,
Are snatch'd from sin's o'erwhelming flood.

Gently now he leads them forth,

In the paths of righteousness;
Bids them testify his worth,
And glory in his grace.

By his strength while here below,

All their foes may they defy;
Till he shall endless life bestow,

And set them up on high.

All heaven shall with hosannahs ring,
And joy before the eternal King.

TO A MOTHER.

(On her birth-day.)

WHILE others round thee shew their joy,
And blessings on thee pray;

Kind thoughts thine absent ones employ,
Who hail thy natal day.

My father loves thee-years can tell,

How firm that love and true;

With all who know thy worth as well-
And I have loved thee too.

S. S. S.

Some of "the loved," have left thee here,

And passed to realms above; Others are with thee passing near,

Till all shall meet above.

'Tis a dim passage to the skies,

But Christ will cheer the gloom;
What wonders will attract our eyes,
When he shall call us home.

And if we "keep the faith" as well
As thou hast "fought the fight;
We shall not shrink from Jordan's swell,
Nor fear the shadowy night.

I would not have thee leave us yet,
While thou art useful here;

But still would meet as we have met,
And Ebenezers' rear.

Is it not heaven, to be on earth,

And do our Master's will?

Does not the Christian's second birth
Bring pleasures with it still?

Though it were better to depart,

And be where Jesus is;

Doth Christ not dwell within our heart,
And give us present bliss?

Is it not heaven, where God resorts,
And shows his power to save?
Why must we leave his earthly courts,
And travel through the grave?

"Oh, foolish heart," I hear thee say,
"There's no perfection found,
Where sin for ever clouds the day,
On this unholy ground.

"There's not a form however fair,

Nor flower however bright; No joy so full, no scene so rare, Nor skies however light

"But some defect shall spoil that form,
Some blight deface the flower:

The joy be dashed, the calm be storm,
And heaven's own brightness lower.”

Well then, I will not tempt thee more,
To wish on earth to stay;

Longer than God shall mark the hour
To summon thee away.

But while there's aught for thee to do,
Or kind advice to give;

I pray that God would here allow
My mother still to live.

But when thy soul shall be with God,
And thou receive the crown ;

And when thy harp shall echo loud
As thou art bending down :

Reserve a string —'tis all I claim,
One sacred string, for me;

And bless him that I learned his name,
That sweetest name, from thee.

Oh, may he, all thy children bring
To keep his holy way ;

That not one harsh or jarring string
Mar the triumphant lay!

Then will the number* be complete,

And to perfection rise;

And every member take his seat,

Beyond the distant skies.

But then our thoughts will hover round,

Our Saviour's glorious face;

And harp and voice, and heart shall sound

His everlasting praise.

Launceston.

E. L. C.

Seven. This number is frequently employed in Scripture to express perfection.

CHRIST MADE SIN.

He made Him, SIN, who knew no sin;
Our sins were on Him laid;
That we, the righteousness of God
In Jesus, might be made.

Contemplate, O! my soul this plan,
Unsearchable, Divine;

Messiah bears the sins of man,
And makes His merits thine!

For free salvation thus revealed,
In the atoning Lamb;

To Him I cheerfully would yield

All that I have and am.

DR. COLLYER.

THE PILGRIMAGE.

I TRAVELLED, on seeing the hill where lay

My expectation;

A long, it was, and weary way.

The gloomy Cave of Desperation

I left on th' one, and on the other side,
The Rock of Pride.

And so I came to Fancy's Meadows strowed

With many a flower;

Fain would I here have made abode,

But I was quickened by my hour;

So to Care's Copse I came, and then got through
With much ado.

That led me to the Wild of Passion, which

Some call the World;

A wasted place, but sometimes rich :

Here I was robbed of all my gold,

Save one good angel,* which a friend had tied
Close by my side.

* An angel was a small gold coin; the reader will not fail to remark the equivoque which refers it to our heavenly guardians-those angels that, whilst they watch over us, "do always behold the face of our Father which is in heaven." See Matt. xviii. 10.