Classic Poem

He was our pastor — learned, gifted, good;
Meek as the humblest member of his flock;
A tower of strength that firmly, grandly stood
On Christ, the Eternal Rock.

He held the feeble hand, the failing heart;
Cared for the stranger, fed and clothed the poor,
And, by his generous sympathy, shared part
Of all the ills they bore.

No earthly honors, neither wealth nor fame,
He sought to win, but rather turned aside,
As counting all unworthy, save the name
Of Jesus crucified.

One day, conversing with his gentle wife
Of his untiring labor, ardent zeal,
The perfect abnegation of his life
For God and human weal.

She answered: " Yes, for many happy years,
This faith and hope in God have walked with him; "
And then she paused, the while, with tender tears,
Her earnest eyes grew dim.

" And yet, " she added, " once he led the van
Of those who spread the fallacy abroad,
That all things great are possible to man,
Without the help of God.

" This infidelity, inbred in youth,
Grew, with his early manhood, fierce and strong;
But I will tell you how he found the truth —
The story is not long.