And, thus the work of prayer begun, Thou well mayst say, "Thy will be done.” Emily Taylor. VIII. "But, if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."- Matthew vi. 15. O God! my sins are manifold, against my life they cry, And all my guilty deeds foregone, up to thy temple fly; Wilt thou release my trembling soul, that to despair is driven ? 'Forgive!' a blessed voice replied, and thou shalt be forgiven!' My foemen, Lord! are fierce and fell, they spurn me in their pride, They render evil for my good, my patience they deride; Arise, oh King! and be the proud to righteous ruin driven ! 'Forgive!' and awful answer came, ' as thou wouldst be forgiven!' Seven times, oh Lord! I pardoned them, seven times they sinned again : They practise still to work me woe, they triumph in my pain; But let them dread my vengeance now, to just resentment driven ! 'Forgive the voice of thunder spake, 'or never be forgiven!' Heber. "Behold the fowls of the air:" "Consider the lilies of the field:"-Matt. vi. 26, 28. IX. YE too, the free and fearless Birds of air, Sing on, before the storm and after, sing! So E'en than the first, within th' awaken'd mind; While sweetly, joyously, they tell of life, That knows no doubts, no questionings, no strife, But hangs upon its God, unconsciously resign'd. Mrs Hemans. X. FLOWERS! when the Saviour's calm benignant eye Fell on your gentle beauty-when from you That heavenly lesson for all hearts he drew, Eternal, universal, as the sky Then, in the bosom of your purity, A voice He set, as in a temple-shrine, And though too oft its low, celestial sound, Than yours, ye Lilies! chosen thus and graced! XI. Mrs Hemans. Lo, the lilies of the field, How their leaves instruction yield! By the blessed birds of Heaven. Every bush and tufted tree 'Mortal, fly from doubt and sorrow: 'Say, with richer crimson glows Mortal, fly from doubt and sorrow, 'One there lives whose guardian eye One there lives, who Lord of all, Free from doubt and faithless sorrow; Heber. XII. IMPERIAL beauty! fair, unrivalled one! In vain the power Of human voice to swell the strains of praise Thou hast received; and which will ever sound Long as the page of inspiration shines - H. F. Gould. XIII. "And every one that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand; and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell; and great was the fall of it."- Matthew vii. 26, 27. BUILD'ST thou on Wealth? —its wings are ever spread Its trusting votaries to elude and foil. *It is quite doubtful whether the lily referred to by the Saviour was the white lily. See Harris' Nat. His. of the Bible. |