In appreciation of the long forgotten, romantic writing style of yesteryear, I have compiled all of the poetry selections from Studies in the Scriptures for you, the reader. Please enjoy them as much as I myself enjoyed them. :)
Pages 19-20
Life's unsealed mystery soon shall say
What joy hath God in this poor clay,
Formed by his hand with potent skill,
Born not to die--no, a second birth
Succeeds the sentence--"earth to earth."
For One of all the mighty host,
Who lived and died and suffered most,
Arose, and proved God's great design—
That future, therefore, yours and mine.
His Word discloses this new ray
Of light, for guidance on our way;
Based now on faith, but sure as sight,
Dispelling these dark clouds of night:
The doubt, the dread, the trembling fear,
The thoughts that marred our blessings here.
Now, Lord, these minds, whose bolder sway
Rejects the dogmas of today,
Taught by jarring sects and schools,
Fettering reason with their rules,
May seek, and know Thee as Thou art,
Our place with Thee, and then the part
We play in this stupendous plan,
Creator Infinite, and man.
Uplifts the veil, revealing quite
To those who walk in heaven's light
The glorious mystery of His throne
Hidden from ages, now made known.
Page 28
“And still new beauties shall we see,
And still increasing light.”
Pages 35-36
“Ye curious minds, who roam abroad,
And trace creation’s wonders o’er,
Confess the footsteps of your God,
And bow before him, and adore.
“The heavens declare thy glory, Lord;
In every star thy wisdom shines;
But when our eyes behold thy Word,
We read thy name in fairer lines.”
SUNSHINE OVER ALL
—————
“What folly, then,” the faithless critic cries,
With sneering lip and wise, world-knowing eyes,
“While fort to fort and post to post repeat
The ceaseless challenge of the war-drum’s beat,
And round the green earth, to the church-bell’s chime,
The morning drum-roll of the camp keeps time,
To dream of peace amidst a world in arms;
Of swords to plowshares changed by Scriptural charms;
Of nations, drunken with the wine of blood,
Staggering to take the pledge of brotherhood,
Like tipplers answering Father Mathew’s call.
* * * * * *
“Check Bau or Kaiser with a barricade
Of ‘Olive leaves’ and resolutions made;
Spike guns with pointed Scripture texts, and hope
To capsize navies with a windy trope;
Still shall the glory and the pomp of war
Along their train the shouting millions draw;
Still dusky labor to the parting brave
His cap shall doff and beauty’s kerchief wave;
Still shall the bard to valor tune his song;
Still hero-worship kneel before the strong;
Rosy and sleek, the sable-gowned divine,
O’er his third bottle of suggestive wine,
To plumed and sworded auditors shall prove
Their trade accordant with the law of love;
And Church for State, and State for Church shall fight,
And both agree that might alone is right.”
Despite the sneers like these, O faithful few,
Who dare to hold God’s Word and witness true,
Whose clear-eyed faith transcends our evil time,
And o’er the present wilderness of crime
Sees the calm future with its robes of green,
Its fleece-flecked mountains, and soft streams between,
Still keep the track which duty bids ye tread,
Though worldly wisdom shake the cautious head.
No truth from heaven descends upon our sphere
Without the greeting of the skeptic’s sneer:
Denied, and mocked at, till its blessings fall
Common as dew and sunshine over all.
—Whittier
Page 65
TRUTH MOST PRECIOUS
—————
GREAT truths are dearly bought. The common truth,
Such as men give and take from day to day,
Comes in the common walk of easy life,
Blown by the careless wind across our way.
Great truths are dearly won; not found by chance,
Nor wafted on the breath of summer dream;
But grasped in the great struggle of the soul,
Hard buffeting with adverse wind and stream.
Sometimes, ‘mid conflict, turmoil, fear and grief,
When the strong hand of God, put forth in might,
Ploughs up the subsoil of the stagnant heart,
It brings some buried truth-seeds to the light.
Not in the general mart, ‘mid corn and wine;
Not in the merchandise of gold and gems;
Not in the world’s gay hall of midnight mirth,
Nor ‘mid the blaze of regal diadems;
Not in the general clash of human creeds,
Nor in the merchandise ‘twixt church and world,
Is truth’s fair treasure found, ‘mongst tares and weeds;
Nor her fair banner in their midst unfurled.
Truth springs like harvest from the well-ploughed fields,
Rewarding patient toil, and faith and zeal.
To those thus seeking her, she ever yields
Her richest treasures for their lasting weal.
Page 75
“God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform:
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.
“Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never-failing skill,
He treasures up his bright designs,
And works his sovereign will.
“Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.
“Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust him for his grace.
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.
“His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour.
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.
“Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan his work in vain.
God is his own interpreter,
And he will make it plain.”
—————*—————
“I know not the way that’s before me,
The joys or the griefs it may bring;
What clouds are o’er hanging the future,
What flowers by the wayside may spring.
But there’s One who will journey beside me,
Nor in weal nor in woe will forsake;
And this is my solace and comfort,
‘He knoweth the way that I take.’“
—Cowper
Page 88
A LORD’S DAY OFFERING
“I offer Thee:
Every heart’s throb, they are Thine;
Every human tie of mine;
Every joy and every pain;
Every act of mind or brain—
My blessed God!
Every hope and every fear;
Every smile and every tear;
Every song and hymn,
‘Laudamus Te.’
“Take them all, my blessed Lord,
Bind them with thy secret cord;
Glorify thyself in me,
Adored One!
Multiply them by thy Word;
Strengthen, bless, increase, my Lord
Of perfect love!
Thou First and Last!”
Page 136
THE DAY IS AT HAND
—————
“Poor, fainting pilgrim, still hold on thy way—the dawn is near!
True, thou art weary now; but yon bright ray becomes more clear.
Bear up a little longer; wait for rest;
Yield not to slumber, though with toil oppressed.
“The night of life is mournful, but look on—the dawn is near!
Soon will earth’s shadowed scenes and forms be gone; yield not to fear!
The mountain’s summit will, ere long, be gained,
And the bright world of joy and peace attained.
“‘Joyful through hope’ thy motto still must be—the dawn is near!
What glories will that dawn unfold to thee! be of good cheer!
Gird up thy loins; bind sandals on thy feet:
The way is dark and long; the end is sweet.”
Page 148
AFTERWARD
—————
“God’s ways are equal: storm or calm,
Seasons of peril and of rest,
The hurting dart, the healing balm,
Are all apportioned as is best.
In judgments oft misunderstood,
In ways mysterious and obscure,
He brings from evil lasting good,
And makes the final gladness sure.
While Justice takes its course with strength,
Love bids our faith and hope increase:
He’ll give the chastened world at length
His afterward of peace.
“When the dread forces of the gale
His sterner purposes perform,
And human skill can naught avail
Against the fury of the storm,
Let loving hearts trust in him still,
Through all the dark and devious way;
For who would thwart his blessed will,
Which leads through night to joyous day?
Be still beneath his tender care;
For he will make the tempest cease,
And bring from out the anguish here
An afterward of peace.
“Look up, O Earth; no storm can last
Beyond the limits God hath set.
When its appointed work is past,
In joy thou shalt thy grief forget.
Where sorrow’s plowshare hath swept through,
Thy fairest flowers of life shall spring,
For God shall grant thee life anew,
And all thy wastes shall laugh and sing.
Hope thou in him; his plan for thee
Shall end in triumph and release.
Fear not, for thou shalt surely see
His afterward of peace.”
Page 174
* * *
“Still o’er earth’s sky the clouds of anger roll,
And God’s revenge hangs heavy on her soul;
Yet shall she rise—though first by God chastised—
In glory and in beauty then baptized.
“Yes, Earth, thou shalt arise; thy Father’s aid
Shall heal the wound his chastening hand hath made;
Shall judge the proud oppressor’s ruthless sway,
And burst his bonds, and cast his cords away.
“Then on your soil shall deathless verdure spring;
Break forth, ye mountains, and ye valleys, sing!
No more your thirsty rocks shall frown forlorn,
The unbeliever’s jest, the heathen’s scorn.
“The sultry sands shall tenfold harvests yield,
And a new Eden deck the thorny field.
E’en now we see, wide-waving o’er the land,
The mighty angel lifts his golden wand,
“Courts the bright vision of descending power,
Tells every gate and measures every tower;
And chides the tardy seals that yet detain
Thy Lion, Judah, from his destined reign.”
—Heber
Page 204
THE CHURCH OF GOD
—————
“Zion, arise, break forth in songs
Of everlasting joy;
To God eternal praise belongs,
Who doth thy foes destroy.
Thou Church of God, awake! awake!
For light beams from on high;
From earth and dust thy garments shake,
Thy glory’s drawing nigh.
“To raise thee high above the earth,
God will his power employ;
He’ll turn thy mourning into mirth,
Thy sorrow into joy.
In shining robes thyself array,
Put on thy garments pure;
Thy King shall lead thee in the way
That’s holy, safe and sure.”
Page 234
“Ne’er think the victory won,
Nor once at ease sit down.
Thine arduous work will not be done
Till thou hast gained thy crown.”
Page 244
THE BLESSED HOPE
—————
“A little while, earth’s fightings will be over;
A little while, her tears, be wiped away;
A little while, the power of Jehovah
Shall turn this darkness to Millennial Day.
“A little while, the ills that now o’erwhelm men
Shall to the memories of the past belong;
A little while, the love that once redeemed them
Shall change their weeping into grateful song.
“A little while! ‘Tis ever drawing nearer—
The brighter dawning of that glorious day.
Praise God, the light is hourly growing clearer,
Shining more and more unto the perfect day.”
Page 272
THE KINGDOM NEAR
—————
“Watchman, tell us of the night—
What its signs of promise are.
Traveler, o’er yon mountain’s height,
See that glory-beaming star!
Watchman, does its beauteous ray
Aught of hope or joy foretell?
Traveler, yes, it brings the day—
Promised day of Israel.
“Watchman, tell us of the night—
Higher yet that star ascends.
Traveler, blessedness and light,
Peace and truth its course portends.
Watchman, will its beams alone
Gild the spot that gave them birth?
Traveler, ages are its own;
See, its glory fills the earth.
“Watchman, tell us, does the morning
Of fair Zion’s glory dawn?
Have the signs that mark its coming
Yet upon thy pathway shone?
Traveler, yes: arise! look round thee!
Light is breaking in the skies!
Gird thy bridal robes around thee!
Morning dawns! arise! arise!”
Page 340
“Content, whatever lot I see,
Since ‘tis God’s hand that leadeth me.”
Page 350
THE DIVINE WEAVING
—————
“See the mystic Weaver sitting
High in heaven—His loom below.
Up and down the treadles go.
Takes, for web, the world’s dark ages,
Takes, for woof, the kings and sages.
Takes the nobles and their pages,
Takes all stations and all stages.
Thrones are bobbins in His shuttle.
Armies make them scud and scuttle—
Web into the woof must flow:
Up and down the nations go!
At the Weaver’s will they go!
“Calmly see the mystic Weaver
Throw His shuttle to and fro;
‘Mid the noise and wild confusion,
Well the Weaver seems to know
What each motion, and commotion,
What each fusion, and confusion,
In the grand result will show!
“Glorious wonder! What a weaving!
To the dull, beyond believing.
Such no fabled ages know.
Only faith can see the mystery,
How, along the aisles of history,
Where the feet of sages go,
Loveliest to the fairest eyes,
Grand the mystic tapet lies!
Soft and smooth, and ever spreading,
As if made for angels’ treading—
Tufted circles touching ever:
Every figure has its plaidings,
Brighter forms and softer shadings,
Each illumined—what a riddle!
From a cross that gems the middle.
“‘Tis a saying—some reject it—
That its light is all reflected;
That the tapet’s lines are given
By a Sun that shines in heaven!
‘Tis believed—by all believing—
That great God, Himself, is weaving,
Bringing out the world’s dark mystery,
In the light of faith and history;
And, as web and woof diminish,
Comes the grand and glorious finish,
When begin the Golden Ages,
Long foretold by seers and sages."
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