OUR WEE WHITE ROSE. ALL in our marriage garden Suck'd the green warmth of the sod; Its little life unfurled; And crown of all things was our wee From out a balmy bosom Our bud of beauty grew; With mystical faint fragrance Our house of life she fill'd — Revealed each hour some fairy tower Where winged hopes might build! We saw-though none like us might seeSuch precious promise pearled Upon the petals of our wee White Rose of all the world. But, evermore the halo Of angel-light increased, Our darling bud up-curled, And dropt i' the grave― God's lap — our wee White Rose of all the world. Our rose was but in blossom; With holy dews impearled!" You scarce could think so small a thing Her little light such shadow fling From dawn to sunset's marge. In other springs our life may be In bannered bloom unfurled, But never, never match our wee White Rose of all the world. GERALD MASSEY. THE HAPPY BAND. AROUND the throne of God in heaven, Thousands of children stand Children whose sins are all forgiven, A holy, happy band, Singing, Glory, glory. In flowing robes of spotless white, And joys that never fade, What brought them to that world above? Because the Saviour shed his blood, Bathed in that pure and precious flood, Behold them white and clean, Singing, Glory, glory. COMFORT. 'BOATMAN, boatman ! my brain is wild, As wild as the rainy seas; My poor little child, my sweet little child, No holy choir to sing so low- A Dropping his oars in the rainy sea, "His grace the same, and the same His power, "On the land and the water, all in all, ALICE CAREY. LEAVE THE RESULT WITH GOD. SUPPOSE, now, there should be a mother, always uneasy and solicitous about her child, when it was in health, or sitting over it when in sickness, restless and anxious, trying this remedy, and that, without reason and without hope, just because she cannot give him up; suppose, I say, that God should come to the bedside, and say to her, "Anxious mother, -I was taking care of your child, but since you are so restless and uneasy about it, I will give the case up to you, if you will take it. There is a great question to be decided;-shall that child recover, or die? I was going to decide it in the best way for yourself and him. But since you cannot trust me, you may decide it yourself. Look upon him, then, as he lies there suffering, and then look forward as far as you can into futurity; see as much as you can of his life here, if you allow him to live; and look forward to eternity, to his eternity and yours. Get all the light you can, and then tell me whether you are really ready to take the responsibility of deciding the question, whether he shall live or die. Since you are not willing to allow me to decide it, I will leave you to decide it yourself." |