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IMMORTALITY.

MAN, thou canst draw the lightning from the clouds,
And yet must die-canst soar from world to world,
Counting the glowing stars, and numbering
The proud array of bright and glittering orbs,
And yet must turn to dust- -Dost rule alone,
Sole monarch of this lovely earth, and all
Its creatures do thee homage, yet the worm
Shall triumph over thee-Shudder, thou wretch,
Whose eyes are only on this fleeting shade
Call'd life-and tremble, thou base recreant slave,
Whose hope has been laid prostrate at the foot
Of this vain world-Lo! dust-the grave-the worm
Are ready all to seize thee-Death will come
Perhaps to smite thee from some pinnacle
Of earthly glory, and to dash thee down,
When thou wouldst, eagle-like, exalt thyself,
And fix thy nest among the stars. -Awake,
Awake, thou grovelling earth-worm-Lo! the sun
Is in the heavens, his vivifying smile

Would pierce thee like a sword, and slay this clod
Of earth, that the enraptured spirit might
Drink deep of immortality from all

The boundless stores of nature-Rapturous thoughts,
Ineffable sensations, high desires,

Say, are they not engender'd day by day,
And hour by hour, from all that's bright and fair
And beautiful around us.-Oh! the gaze
Of melancholy twilight, through her tears
Of purest dew, dropping like pearls, distill'd
From the soft sunset ray, and the dear glance,
Love-like and tender as the look of love
Of Cynthia, taking out the bosom's stains

With her soft beams of holy light; what things
They speak of to the chosen soul-and thou
Eternal and all gorgeous canopy,

Looking upon us in the gloomy time

Of solemn midnight, with ten thousand eyes
Of clear unutterable brightness,---tongues,
Eternal tongues, of never-dying fire,

Are in your glory, that will speak aloud
To man of immortality, and give
Him fond assurance he shall never die.

Man is immortal!-Death, thy iron crown
Totters upon thy brow, and Victory's palm
Falls from thy palsied grasp-Though Sin did bring
Thee forth into this breathing world, and seem'd
To set thee up against Heaven's King, and gave
Thee power to wrench from out their orbits, all
The planets one by one, to turn the light
Of the innumerable suns his pride

To darkness, and the warm and glowing torch
Of his enduring love into a cinder,

Black as thy shrivell'd arm: Though thou dost hurl
From age to age, and century to century,
The dust of empires in his face, and fain
Would grieve his heart by making ceaseless havoc
Upon the fairest things, His workmanship.
Though thou dost chill the hearts of mortal men
From the first hour they breathe, with quaking fears
And icy shudderings,-wouldst pall the glory
Of bright creation with a cloud, and darken
Mortal existence, his great boon and gift,
With thy forthcoming shadow, and dost make
The universe, His temple, also thine:

And while he maketh, thou wouldst still destroy,

And by destroying wouldst become more great
In desolation, than He in the glory

Of his unnumber'd worlds!-Yet man defies
Thy shaft, for One from heaven hath been,

Mortality in immortality,

Enshrined to foil thee,-and thou hadst the power

To slay, yet couldst not slay,-to kill, yet see
The dead alive again; to be the end,

Yet the beginning; a destroyer, yet

A saviour; and if thou shouldst even now
Lay this high-favour'd and all-beauteous world
In one eternal ruin, and destroy

The very germs and essences of things
Material, and pluck from out his sphere
The gorgeous orb of day, and smite the host
Of planets and their myriad systems back
Into old chaos, Spirit would survive,
Perfected solely by that very act

To smile at thy vain impotence, and throw
Defiance in thy teeth, and brave thee still!
Man is immortal!-free, enfranchised, bought
By Love Divine, for bright inheritance
And never-ending bliss-Oh! great indeed
The price was set, and dear, oh! very dear,
The sacrifice; but thou didst pay the whole,
Yea, drop by drop, in blood!-Saviour of men!
We worship Thee,-God of our hope! we bow
Before Thee, and would laud in endless praise,
Through time and through eternity, thy Name.
Man is immortal!-Let it be the key,
The pitch note, burden, chorus, symphony,
To every holy song that man may breathe,
Like incense towards heaven-Join in the theme,

Ye happy spirits round the throne of GOD,
Join in the glorious hymn, and softly touch
Your golden harps to the all-joyful strain;
Ye towering archangels, who are the heralds
And constant harbingers of God in heaven,
Proclaim it there, as a sweet new-born joy
For angels!-Let the joyful hymn resound
The hymn of man's high immortality
Through all the elements-earth, water, air,
Space vast and limitless, and the quick soul
Of all pervading fire, catch up the glee,
And bear it through the universe on wings
Of lightning; and ye joyous morning stars,
That sang together when Omnipotence
Called light and beauty from dark chaos, as
This glorious world roll'd forth in pristine bloom,
A habitation for mean man-do ye

Keep up the sound through all eternity,
Undying music for the radiant spheres,
The high immortal song of triumph, and
Of victory eternal-let it come down

On earth like the full beam of the bright sun,
That brings the blossom from the bud, and gives
The honey to the flower; touching the heart,
As Memnon's statue was, to ceaseless sounds
Of harmony; let stricken hearts receive
It like the heavenly dew; let mortals breathe
It day by day, as their own vital air;
Let dying lips respire it-dying ears
Embrace the melody-while all the powers
Are fainting in the ecstasy of death,
And the poor liberated spirit flies

Towards her God and Saviour's outspread arms.

W. MARTIN.

SMILES.

WEEP not at what the world can do,
Nor sorrow for its wrong;

But wear a smile upon thy brow,
It cannot harm us long:

The cold contempt, the bitter scorn,
The hatred and the guile,
Will not fall lighter if we mourn—
O then 'tis well to smile.

Then smile at human vanity,

And smile at human pride,

And smile when men do flatter thee,
And smile when they deride;

If some would do thee wrong, then smile,
And care not to condemn ;

When some with softer looks beguile,
Why, have a smile for them.

Now bend in praise thy humble knee,
With smiles upon thy brow,
Thy bosom may be light and free,'
Although thou sink'st so low;
And raise in smiles of joy thine eyes,
In gratitude of prayer;

To Him who lives beyond the skies,
And smiles for ever there.

W. MARTIN.

AMEN.

ERE we utter, "It is finished,”

And the last Amen repeat,

Many steep and toilsome wanderings,

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