Oh Lord, with Thee is endless might,
To Thee be endless praise;
For Thou canst curb the crimson fight,
The warrior's plume of glory blight,
And quench his armor's blaze.

Dying Thoughts.

["For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" Matt. xvi. 26.]

My spirit sinks beneath death's chilling blight,
Earth's stars and suns no more for me shall shine;
But in eternity's broad, searching light,

How shall I stand with such a heart as mine;

A heart so prone to earth, so far from God,

In mercy's hour so vain, and so ingrate,

So unsubmissive 'neath affliction's rod,

So full of evil at its best estate!

With such a darkened heart I'm called to steer
My bark upon Eternity's broad sea;

My sails are all afloat, and loud I hear

The torrent waves dash wide and fearfully.
And shall I perish? Lost or not, I go!
Oh, God! To thee at this dread hour I turn.
Oh, whisper to my soul, and let me know
The humbled sinner Thou wilt never spurn.
Hast Thou not said it! Dark I am, impure;
And only through Thy love, my soul can be secure.

Scripture Sonnets.

(1.) THE LIBERTY OF THE GOSPEL.

["Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. If the Son, therefore, shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." John viii. 34, 36.]

If thou, oh God, wilt make my spirit free,
Then will that darkened soul be free indeed;
I cannot break my bonds, apart from thee,
Without thy help I bow and serve and bleed.
Arise, oh Lord, and in thy matchless strength,
Asunder rend the links my heart that bind,
And liberate and raise and save, at length,
My long enthralled and subjugated mind.
And then with strength and beauty in her wings,
My quickened soul shall take an upward flight,
And in thy blissful presence, King of kings,
Rejoice in liberty and life and light,

In renovated power and conscious truth,

In faith and cheerful hope, in love and endless youth.

(II.) DIVINE LIght.

["For Thou art my lamp, Oh Lord; and the Lord will enlighten my darkness."—"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach recovery of sight to the blind." 2 Sam. xxii, 29: Luke iv. 18.]

ON every side mysterious things abound,
In earth and sky and ocean's deep domain,
Which man's poor reason utterly confound,
Beyond his power to fathom or explain.

His mind is dark. In what way shall he see?
Oh, God! Form thou thine image in my heart,
Implant thy likeness in my spiritual part,

And help me to behold all things in thee.

Thou art the source of light. That light, when through
My darkened mind its radiance is streaming,
In all its shadowy, secret places beaming,

At once dispels the dimness of my view.
In thy light seeing light, my raptured eye
Doth every where behold love and infinity.

(III.) THE GOOD SHEPHERD.

["The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want; he maketh me to lie down in the green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters." Ps. xxiii. 1, 2.]

BLEST Jesus! Thou the gentle Shepherd art,
That watchest for thy flock with sleepless care;
The lambs within thy bosom thou dost bear,
And warm the sick and fainting on thy heart.
When beats the heated sun upon their head,
And heaviness oppresses thy poor flock,

Then dost thou lead them to some shadowy rock,
Or where umbrageous trees are overspread.

To pastures thou dost guide us by thy crook,

Where tender plants and buds and flowrets grow, "Flowers red and white," that bend o'er waves below,

The peaceful waves of many a cooling brook.

Oh, gentle Shepherd! guide us on our way,

Watch o'er thy tender lambs, nor let them go astray.

(IV.) FEAR OF DEATH.

["For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better "

Phil. i. 23.]

THE body perishes, but not the mind;

The outward man decays, but that within

Shall grow more pure and bright, like gold refined,
Rebuilt in strength, and separate from sin.
E'en now I feel the purifying flame,

A fire from heaven is kindling in my heart,
Diffusing greater joy than words can name,
And pouring light through all the mental part.
That fire shall burn long after the sad hour,
When death shall bring the body to the grave;
Increasing in its brightness and its power,
Long as eternal ages roll their wave.

Why should we tremble, then, and fear to die;

Death but unbinds the soul, and frees us for the sky.