Anywhere upon earth's surface
Sinless creatures there are none,
And beneath the dome of Heaven
"None are righteous, no not one;
Therefore whilst thou sadly mournest
And dost drop a silent tear,
For the woes thy Lord endured
During His brief sojourn here—
Know 'tis thou as well as others
Who hast swelled the guilt and shame,
And that every day thou livest
Thou dishonourest His name,
By thy manifold transgressions
And thy life of useless ease,
Thy career of fruitless pleasure
Caring not thy Lord to please.
In thy chamber meekly kneeling
Consecrate to Him thy days,
Seek that thou may'st to the utmost
Win Him honour, love, and praise;
Then go forth to do or suffer
As He shall thy spirit move, And by earnest love and labour Thy regeneration prove.
Exercise in thy endeavours
All thy talents, time and skill,
In His words address thy Master
"Lo I come to do Thy will."
Sympathize with hearts in sadness,
Feed the hungry, guide the blind,
Let all creatures, brute and human,
Find thee gentle, just and kind;
Tell of Jesu's love and mercy,
Jesu's love and Adam's fall,
Till thou cast thy crown before Him
And extol Him Lord of all.
I WOULD, BUT YE WOULD NOT.
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!" LUKE xiii. 34.
OW often, O Jerusalem, would I have gathered
Thy careless children to Myself secure to keep,
E'en as a hen her brood beneath her wings soft-feathered
Doth call and nestle free from every harm to sleep:
I would, but ye would not!
How often, O ye weary ones, would I have carried
Those heavy burdens that your hearts so sorely press;
How oft I've called, and oh! how wearily I've tarried,
Longing in vain to ease you of your dire distress:
I would, but ye would not!
How often, O ye tempted ones, would I have wielded
My Arm divine against assaults from lurking foes;
And victors ye'd have proved where now ye've tamely yielded,
And plunged yourselves, alas! in deepest, saddest woes;
I would, but ye would not!
How often, O ye hungry ones, would I have nourished
Your famished, sinking bodies with the needed bread;
How often, too, your thirsting spirits should have flourished
By the cool waters where My flock I gently led;
I would, but ye would not!
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