11

12

5 If heaven and earth, with beauty fraught,
Lead to His throne thy raptured thought;
If there thou knowest his love to read,
Then, wanderer, thou art blest indeed.
MRS. F. HEMANS.

The Voice of Creation.

[L. M.]

1 THERE seems a voice in every gale,

A tongue in every opening flower,

Which tells, O Lord! the wondrous tale

TUNE-" Aerion."

Of Thy indulgence, love and power;

The birds that rise on quivering wing,

Appear to hymn their Maker's praise,

And all the mingling sounds of Spring,

To Thee a general pæan raise.

2 And shall my voice, great God, alone

Be mute midst nature's loud accla ?

Nor let my heart with answering tone

Breathe forth in praise Thy holy name?

And nature's debt is small to mine;

Thou badst her being bounded be,

But-matchless proof of love divine

Thou gav'st immortal life to me.

MRS. AMELIA OPIE.*

Summer Evening.

[P. M.]

AIR-" Harp of the Wind."

1 How fine has the day been, how bright was the sun;

How lovely and joyful the course that he run,

*This elegant writer was born at Norwich, England, in 1771. Her
maiden name was Amelia Alderson. The productions of her pen are
very numerous; but her treatises on "Detraction," and on "Lying,"
are the most generally known.

Though he rose in a mist when his race he begun,
And there followed some droppings of rain
But now the fair Traveller's come to the west,
His rays are all gold, and his beauties are best;
He paints the sky gay as he sinks to his rest,
And foretells a bright rising again.

2 Just such is the Christian:* his course he begins
Like the sun in a mist, when he mourns for his sins
And melts into tears; then he breaks out and shines,
And travels his heavenly way;

But, when he comes nearer to finish his race,
Like a fine setting sun, he looks richer in grace,
And gives a sure hope at the end of his days,
Of rising in brighter array.

DR. WATTS.

13

Our Destiny.

[C. M.]

TUNE-" Naomi."

"Acushnet."

1 SWEET Day, so cool, so calm, so bright;
Bridal of earth and sky!

The dews shall weep thy fall to-night;
For thou, alas! must die.

2 Sweet Rose, in air whose odors wave,
And color charms the eye!
Thy root is ever in its grave,
And thou, alas! must die.

3 Sweet Spring, of days and roses made,
Whose charms for beauty vie !
Thy days depart, thy roses fade,
Thou too, alas! must die.

*Vide Prov. iv. 18.

4 Be wise then, mortal, while you may,
For swiftly time is flying;
The thoughtless man that laughs to-day,
To-morrow will be dying.

ALTERED FROM GEO. HERBERT

14

Watchman! What of the Night ?*

TUNE-" Watchman tell us of the Night."

1 WATCHMAN! tell us of the night,

What its signs of promise are.

Traveller! o'er yon mountain's height,

See that glory-beaming star!

Watchman! does its beauteous ray

Aught of hope or joy foretell?

Traveller! yes; it brings the day—

Promised day of Israel.

2 Watchman! tell us of the night,

Higher yet that star ascends -

Traveller! blessedness and light,

Peace and truth its course portends!

Watchman! will its beams alone

Gild the spot that gave them birth ?

Traveller! ages are its own,

See, it bursts o'er all the earth.

3 Watchman! tell us of the night,

For the morning seems to dawn-

Traveller! darkness takes its flight,

Doubt and terror are withdrawn.
Watchman! let thy wanderings cease;
Hie thee to thy quiet home-
Traveller! lo! the Prince of Peace,
Lo! the Son of God is come!

DR. JOHN BOWRING.

* Vide Isaiah xxi. 11.

15

God is Love.

AIR-See Boston S. S. Book, p. 31.

[58 & 68.]

1 Lo! the heavens are breaking,

Pure and bright above;

Life and light awaking,

Murmur "God is love."

16

The Nightingale.

[L. M.] TUNE-See Kingsley's S. Choir, vol. I. p. 88.

1 WHEN twilight's gray and pensive hour

Brings the low breeze, and shuts the flower,

And bids the solitary star

Shine in pale beauty from afar;

2 When gathering shades the landscape veil,
And peasants seek their village-dale,
And mists from river-wave arise,
And dew in every blossom lies;

3 At that calm hour, so still, so pale,
Awakes the lonely nightingale;
And from a hermitage of shade,
Fills with her voice the forest-glade.

4 Father in heaven! oh! thus, when day
With all its cares hath passed away,
And silent hours waft peace on earth,
And hush the louder strains of mirth;

5 Thus may sweet songs of praise and prayer,
To Thee my spirit's offering bear;
Yon star, my signal, set on high,
For vesper-hymns of piety.

6 So may Thy mercy and Thy power,
Protect me through the midnight hour;
And balmy sleep and visions blest
Smile on Thy servant's bed of rest.

17

The Autumn Evening.

[C. M.]

TUNE-" Clarendon."

1 BEHOLD the western evening light!
It melts in deepening gloom;

So calmly Christians sink away,
Descending to the tomb.

MRS. F. HEMANS.

“Phillips."

2 The winds breathe 'low, the withering leaf
Scarce whispers from the tree;

So gently flows the parting breath,
When good men cease to be.