Cold winter from his icy throne was banished,
And spring's pale beauties came in joy to reign;
The summer roses sweetly bloomed, then vanished,
And winter sways his blighting power again.
Another page of life's brief record written,
The same old mingling of our smiles and tears;
Of joys by sorrows from their bowers beaten,
Of love and gladness chased by cares and fears.
The bridal pomp forgotten on the morrow
Amidst the sable pageantry of woe;
Next day love's kisses on the cheek of sorrow
Making joy's embers into brightness glow.
Change is the law by nature's changeless order,
But sin is not; and, in the race we've run,
We've filled the pages of the stern Recorder
With wrong things cherished, duties left undone.
We've joyed to sit in judgment on another,
And cast our stones in Pharisaic pride;
Forgetting, in our zeal to slay a brother,
Our own Cain hearts with lusts uncrucified.
Our sword and shield laid down, at honour's peril,
To some vain idol, lightly to carouse;
Or lost, through listlessness, the victor's laurel
That angel hands held ready for our brows.
Some trodden gem lay at our feet unheeded.
Whilst, in our blindness, we have cherished stones;
We freely poured our balm where 'twas not needed,
Deaf to the wounded's bitter cries and moans;
Crushed tender buds that fain would bloom for heaven,
Struggling for life among the thorny sod;
Hushed the faint notes to some frail wanderer given,
To pour his paean on the ear of God.
On Caesar's shrine we've laid our temple shekel;
Faith's wings are trailing, and our aims are low;
A mystic finger on each act writes " Tekel, "
And motives blackened what we deemed like snow.
Ah! what a retrospect! — ah! what a reck'ning!
With feet unwashed, soiled robes, and broken palms,
Whilst crowned saints our souls are daily beckoning
To where they sing their hallelujah psalms.
O Thou whose majesty and holy grandeur
Made even the smallest of Thy deeds sublime,
Who walked the earth in truth's unborrowed splendour,
Our great Example to the end of time.
Ashamed we cower 'neath Thy robe of whiteness,
Praying each passing year us all to find
Nearer the image of Thy glorious brightness,
In sinless lives and loftiness of mind.
And spring's pale beauties came in joy to reign;
The summer roses sweetly bloomed, then vanished,
And winter sways his blighting power again.
Another page of life's brief record written,
The same old mingling of our smiles and tears;
Of joys by sorrows from their bowers beaten,
Of love and gladness chased by cares and fears.
The bridal pomp forgotten on the morrow
Amidst the sable pageantry of woe;
Next day love's kisses on the cheek of sorrow
Making joy's embers into brightness glow.
Change is the law by nature's changeless order,
But sin is not; and, in the race we've run,
We've filled the pages of the stern Recorder
With wrong things cherished, duties left undone.
We've joyed to sit in judgment on another,
And cast our stones in Pharisaic pride;
Forgetting, in our zeal to slay a brother,
Our own Cain hearts with lusts uncrucified.
Our sword and shield laid down, at honour's peril,
To some vain idol, lightly to carouse;
Or lost, through listlessness, the victor's laurel
That angel hands held ready for our brows.
Some trodden gem lay at our feet unheeded.
Whilst, in our blindness, we have cherished stones;
We freely poured our balm where 'twas not needed,
Deaf to the wounded's bitter cries and moans;
Crushed tender buds that fain would bloom for heaven,
Struggling for life among the thorny sod;
Hushed the faint notes to some frail wanderer given,
To pour his paean on the ear of God.
On Caesar's shrine we've laid our temple shekel;
Faith's wings are trailing, and our aims are low;
A mystic finger on each act writes " Tekel, "
And motives blackened what we deemed like snow.
Ah! what a retrospect! — ah! what a reck'ning!
With feet unwashed, soiled robes, and broken palms,
Whilst crowned saints our souls are daily beckoning
To where they sing their hallelujah psalms.
O Thou whose majesty and holy grandeur
Made even the smallest of Thy deeds sublime,
Who walked the earth in truth's unborrowed splendour,
Our great Example to the end of time.
Ashamed we cower 'neath Thy robe of whiteness,
Praying each passing year us all to find
Nearer the image of Thy glorious brightness,
In sinless lives and loftiness of mind.