THE FLESH RESTING IN HOPE. 109 Rest for the toiling hand, Rest for the thought-worn brow, Rest for the weary way-sore feet, Rest from all labor now. Rest for the fevered brain, Rest for the throbbing eye; Thro' these parched lips of thine no more, the moan or sigh. Shall pass Soon shall the trump of God Give out the welcome sound, That shakes thy silent chamber-walls Ye dwellers in the dust, Awake, come forth and sing; Sharp has your frost of winter been, But bright shall be your spring. 'Twas sown in weakness here; "Twill then be raised in power. That which was sown an earthly seed, Shall rise a heavenly flower. REST. Nor long, not long!-The spirit-wasting fever Earth's joys are but a dream; its destiny Is but decay and death. Its fairest form Sunshine and shadow mixed. Its brightest day A rainbow braided on the wreaths of storm. Yet there is blessedness that changeth not; A home with Christ, a heritage on high. Hope for the hopeless, for the weary, rest, Homes for the desolate in yonder heaven! The tempest makes returning calm more dear; Shall be the past, remembered from afar. Then welcome change and death! Since these alone A PILGRIM'S SONG. A FEW more years shall roll, A few more seasons come; And we shall be with those that rest, Asleep within the tomb. Then, O my Lord, prepare My soul for that great day; A few more suns shall set O'er these dark hills of time; And we shall be where suns are not, A far serener clime. Then, O my Lord, prepare My soul for that blest day; O wash me in thy precious blood, A few more storms shall beat On this wild rocky shore; A PILGRIM'S SONG. And we shall be where tempests cease, And surges swell no more. My soul for that calm day; A few more struggles here, My soul for that blest day; A few more Sabbaths here Shall cheer us on our way; * The old Latin hymn expresses this well: "Illic nec sabbato Succedit sabbatum, Perpes lætitia Sabbatizantium. 113 |