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H. Early Encouragements. 证

1.

TRUSTWORTHINESS.

"The child JESUS tarried behind in Jerusalem."

THE cares, the loves of parents fond
Go deep, all loves, all cares beyond.
Fain would they read the good and ill
That nestles in our silent will,

And night and day

They wish and pray

That only good may

there find

way.

But deeper lurk all breasts within
The secrets both of grace and sin.
Each has his world of thought alone,

To one dread Watcher only known.

And far and wide

On every side

Our dreams dart on-no earthly guide.

Glad may they be and calm of heart,
Who, when their child so walks apart,
Seek him and find where Angels come
On JESUS' work, in JESUS' Home :-

Who, out of sight,

Know all is right,

One law for darkness and for light.

If in pure aims and deeds and prayers
His path mount high, and far from theirs,
If seeking him 'mid friends below

They find him not, what joy to know
He hath but turn'd

Where JESUS yearn'd

To be ;-where heavenly Love is learn'd!

Thou who didst teach Thy Mother dear,
In three dim days of doubt and fear,
By timely training to foreknow

Thy Passion and its three days' woe,

Prepare Thou still

Our heart and will,—

Our friends' and ours,-for good and ill.

2.

SAMUEL'S PRAYER.

WITH joy the guardian Angel sees
A duteous child upon his knees,
And writes in his approving book
Each upward, earnest, holy look.

Light from his pure aërial dream
He springs to meet morn's orient beam,
And pours towards the kindling skies
His clear adoring melodies.

Some glorious Seraph, waiting by, Receives the prayer to waft on high, And wonders, as he soars, to read More than we know, and all we need.

More than we know, and all we need,
Is in young children's prayer and creed.
They, for their Home, before Him fall,
He, for His Church, receives their call.

They cry with simple voice and clear,
"Bless Father, Mother, Brethren dear :"
He for the Priests of His dread Son
Accounts the blessing ask'd and won.

For holy Priests and Matrons mild,
For penitents and undefiled,
For dying Saints, for babes new-born,
He takes their offering, eve and morn.

He gives the frail and feeble tongue
A doom to speak on sin and wrong;
Unconscious they stern lightnings aim,
When His ten Precepts they proclaim.

Thus in the Tabernacle shade

At morn and eve young Samuel pray'd,
Nor knew his prayer God's ark should win,
Forfeit by priest's and people's sin.

To Eli thus dread words he spake :

Ye hearts profane, with penance

A wondrous peal o'er Israel rung,

ache;

Heaven's thunder from a child's meek tongue.

G

3.

PRAYER AT HOME AND IN CHURCH.

"These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the Mother of JESUS, and with his brethren."

WHERE are the homes of Paschal Mirth,

The bowers where heavenly Joy may rest her wings on earth,

And at her leisure gaze adoring

Where out of sight the golden clouds are soaring Beneath the ascending Saviour's Feet?

Where may rejoicing Love retreat

To frame a melody for His returning meet?

Two homes we know of Love's resort,

One in the upper room, one in the Temple court ;
In glorious Sion both, possessing

Alike her presence, whom the awful blessing
Lifted above all Adam's race :-

The royal Twelve are there in place;

Women and duteous friends, awaiting His high

grace.