The winter through I lay asleep,Unconscious and unseen;The howling winds disturbed me not,Nor felt the frost tho’ keen.Thick blankets covered me about,And kept me dry and warm,And weeks and months passed quickly byAnd I received no harm.At last I felt uneasy inMy cosy little cot,Tho’ it was lined with softest down.The cause I knew not […]

Buttercups and daisies growing everywhere,In the field of clover, on the hillside fair,And in lovely valley, tilled with greatest care. Naught but weeds and rubbish, in the farmer’s eyes,Drawing off the nurture from the grain they prize,And their great luxuriance sore their patience tries. But the dews of heaven give them richest bloom,And their smiling […]

The air is chill with the frost of doubt,And men’s hearts are sadly failing;They do not hear the great Victor’s shout;But indulge in bitter wailing.“The old gives place to the new,” they say,“And fond hopes are daily buried;Our cherished views are oft borne away,As if by the tempest hurried. “The world is stirred to its […]

My lot on earth is not all mirth,Nor is it constant gloom;Some joys decay and fall away,But leave much lasting bloom.My wishes are not always met,And cares press hard at times;Yet joyous strains ne’er sink to fret,Tho’ dollars shrink to dimes. My earthly lot boasts not a cot,No foot of land I own,No bank account […]

I fear not, my Father, the tempest’s loud roar,Nor dread the huge breakers on the rock-girded shore;Thy presence is with me, my refuge is near,With help all-sufficient; oh, why should I fear?Tho’ billows of sorrow should roll o’er my head,My sun sink in darkness, and joys be all dead,Thy presence will cheer me, and spectres […]

‘Tis said, long since an angel came to earth,Sent by his Lord, to help with loving handA suffering one, afflicted from his birth.The limb was healed as by divine command,But He felt weak, for strength from Him had gone,A sacrifice which love could not withhold;So he sought shelter till the morning dawn,But none received–they prized […]

The night of affliction, with its long hours of sadness,Will soon pass away to be remembered no more;And the weeping will end in a morning of gladness;For no sorrow is known on the evergreen shore. In this world we shall have tribulation and sorrow;‘Tis enough for the subject to be as his king;But if we […]

The highest goal is not success,If that be made the aim;But faithfulness, tho’ counted less,Is what God promises to bless:These goals are not the same. And if I am to do my bestIn every line of life,My effort will be surely blest,And I will find in toil sweet rest,Tho’ in a world of strife. And […]

From God’s all bounteous hand descendRare gifts in rich effusion,And with those gifts no poisons blend,Nor is their end delusion;So do not spurn if He bestowThose forms arrayed in beauty;If thus His gifts with radiance glow,Enjoyment is a duty. Come, deck your brows with leaves and flowers,Ye fair ones, nothing fearing;Adorn your homes and train […]

My greatest grief is not my own;That often proves a blessing,For in my grief God’s care is shown,And as I am not left alone,It never proves distressing; But when my brother’s grief I bearThe weight then seems excessive;His heavy load I inly share,And loaded down by double care,My burden feels oppressive. Yet I remember Him […]

Two men, well versed in use of arms,Set out, ’tis said, in search of game.Each felt that hunting had its charms,Yet widely differed they in aim.Both felt their need of wholesome foodFor present use and winter’s store;But one was of a careless mood–Than the day’s sport he asked no more. No game he bagged from […]

(Isaiah 33:16) Tossed about in strange commotionLike the surface of the oceanWhen the wind, its waters lashing,Sends great billows, roaring, dashingO’er the breakers, which for agesHave withstood the storms it wages,See those clouds, so like this ocean,How they whirl in strange commotion. Dust and vapor now are meeting,Each the other wildly greeting;As one hand another […]

A group of mounted officersRide up and fall in line;Their gleaming swords hang at their sides,Chevrons their arms entwine;They bare their heads as pass alongA train of wounded men,Their shattered comrades from the fieldThey ne’er may meet again. “Salut aux Blessis!” loud they cry.The wounded soldiers hear,And for a time forget their pain,And swell the […]

I know in part, but know not all,The part I know is known;What know I not I hope with PaulTo know before the throne.Till then where knowledge fails I trustThe truth God has revealed,As known by me, forever mustBe like the truth concealed. I know God is, tho’ hid from sight,And know He cares for […]

The well-built house with walls of brick, or stone,May tremble some if struck by the cyclone;The most established saint may trials feel,As flint may turn the edge of finest steel.Satanic hosts may rush in like a flood,Allied with foes of our own flesh and blood,The elements of earth and hell combine,Yet tho’ he trembles, stands […]

Perfection ever is the price of toil.Of marchings long, and hardships by the way,Of burdens borne, oft in the heat of day,‘Tis then as right the victor claims the spoil. The world admires the wreath upon his brow,But he alone can tell how much it cost,And how to gain it he had all things lost.Results […]

My pansy pets are sleeping wellBeneath their quilt of snow;How they can breathe I cannot tell,Nor how their rootlets grow;But soon the snow will melt awayAnd April showers descend;Then shall appear in colors gayEach little pansy friend. Of pride it may not show a trace;Of lowly mind, alway;But will not blush to show its faceAll […]

I saw her first when she was old,Her form devoid of grace;Her locks that once were yellow goldWere white, and on her faceWere furrows deep, which told of pain,And toil, and worldly fret,Which all, alas, had been in vain,But nature claimed the debt. Her eyes were gray and lacked in glow,Her voice some thought was […]

Each human life with mysteries is replete;They press upon us in its early dawn,And multiply apace as years roll on,And at each turn we must their problems meet.Reason is blind, and fails their end to see,Misjudges God and gathers only woe,And from this spring much turbid waters flow.Only the pure in heart from doubt are […]

Looking o’er this written page,Many blurs and blots are seen;Crooked strokes, at every stage–Oh, that it again were clean,As at first I found it, whenI defiled it with my pen! Gladly would I all erase;But along the lines of blueYou could still the failure traceIn the paper’s darkened hue;Though the words could not be seen,You […]