FullReads

FATHER!–dear name, to thought and feeling dear
Thrice-precious ever in the Christian’s ear!
An earthly father, trials may estrange;
THE EVERLASTING FATHER knows no change!–
With tireless patience and unslumbering care,
Watching wherever His earth-children are,
Nor failing e’en the faintest cry to hear,
By His weak children breathed into His ear.

BROTHER!–our Eldest, FIRST-BORN FROM THE DEAD,
Of all the glorified the Living HEAD!
Yet condescending to the youngest child,
With tenderest looks and accents sweet and mild;–
Who feels a wrong done to the feeblest one,
Keenly, as though unto Himself ’twere done;–
Who, sees no kindness to the humblest shown,
But ‘lisas though ’twere to Himself alone;–
And who will judge the wrong, the kindness bless,
With all a brother’s truth and tenderness;–
Nay, more: an earthly brother faints and dies,
Or faithless oft, forgets affections ties;–
His love, enduring as the eternal throne,
No change, decay, or loss have ever known.

FRIEND!–there is music in that simple word,
Which through all time the human heart has stirred.
Earth cannot be a desert, joy-bereft,
To any heart, if but one friend is left;–
Yet friends oft change, and friendship proves a name,
And death at last must ever quench its flame.

Yet He’s a friend, than brother closer far;–
One whose affection changes cannot mar;–
One tempted, tried, and grieved, as you have been;–
Long a lone wanderer through this world of sin;–
Himself without a friend whose steadfast heart
In His deep cup of anguish shared a part.

Friendless He knelt in dark Gethsamane;–
Unfriended hung on Calvary’s bloody tree;–
And all for what?–His matchless love to prove
For man, His enemy! O, matchless love!–
O, wondrous Friendship!–O, unchanging Friend!–
Who, loving thus, should love unto the end,
That, evermore, the ransomed soul might rest
Its weary head upon His faithful breast,
And feel, ‘mid all vicissitudes and pains,
That one, true, constant, loving friend remains.

Friend, Brother, Father!–Could we ask for more?
Yet these dear names exhaust not half the store.
REDEEMER!–SAVIOUR!–Lo! a captive, bound
With chains and fetters, wrapped in night profound,
In helpless, hopeless bondage, dark I lay,
When He, in pitying mercy, passed that way.
He saw me hugging close my heavy chain,
Loving my bonds, despite their bitter pain,
Deaf to the music of the songs of Heaven,
Blind to the light His pitying love had given,
Sick unto death, yet boastful of my health,
Clothed in foul rags, yet vaunting of my wealth.

Was that a thing to love or pity?–Nay!–
Yet He did stoop, on me, His hand to lay;
Touched my dark eyes, and lo! the light was mine;
Ope’d my dull ears to harmony divine;
Showed me my rags, my wretchedness, my grief,
My deadly sickness, and then gave relief;
Paid my full ransom-price, warmed, cleansed, and red,
And clothed in spotless raiment, me He led
Forth from the dungeon of impurity,
To the pure air of heaven, made whole, set free!
Henceforth my all in life or death is thine,
And thou, Redeemer, Saviour,–thou art mine!

Nor yet, with these, the exultant song should cease;
for this Redeemer is the PRINCE OF PEACE!
To be redeemed by earthly Prince, would be
High honor, lasting joy to him set free;
Yet earthly princes, emulous of fame,
Oft win their way to power by sword and flame,
And leave the path by which they reach a throne,
Red with slain victims in their rage o’erthrown,
And rudely crushed beneath the maddened tread
Of fiery Conquest, reckless of his dead.