She thought how blest their former lot,
In Abraham's tents to dwell;
She felt how lonely was that spot,
When evening shadows fell.
The Egyptian's soul was dark and sad,
His mother's eye was dim;
NO FEAR the youthful hunter had,
No place was lone to him.
He heeded not the wilderness,
The waste so wild and drear ;
His mother's hand was there to press-
WHAT CAUSE HAD HE TO FEAR?
She sat beneath a blighted tree-
Its shade came on her brow:
"Poor child," she said, "I have but thee,
And thou must perish now.
"To-day one little cooling draught
Upon thy lip may lie;
To-morrow will the last be quaffed,
And thou and I must die.
"To-day within thy father's home
Will stand a vacant chair;
To ask why Hagar does not come,
No friendly voice will dare.
"Some other form will fill thy bed
To-night when darkness lowers;
Thy father's flocks will then be fed
By other hands than ours.
"To them the evening soft and mild
Will come with evening prayer;
And we shall not be there, my child-
No, we shall not be there."
To-morrow found them lonelier still,
Their burning lips were dry;
No stream was near their cup to fill,
No hope in earth or sky.
No shelter from the noon-day sun,
Or from the dreary night;
And he, that bold and fearless one,
Was fainting in her sight.
Too much it wrung her aching heart
To hear his feeble cry;
'Twas then the mother sat apart—
She could not see him die
"TWAS THEN her voice, so wild and shrill,
Went forth upon the breeze;
Hush! 'tis a loftier sound-"Be still,
And let these murmurs cease.
"FEAR NOT-NO DANGER SHALL DESTROY;
The brook is by thy side:
FEAR NOT; FOR I AM WITH THY BOY,
HIS WANDERING STEPS TO GUIDE.
[A dialogue for a boy and girl.]
Girl. Oh, tell me where the winds are gone
When all is still around-
Do they hide in lonely caverns
A long way underground?
Are they prisoned in the ocean
When its stormy waves rise high?
Are their voices in the thunder
Which echoes through the sky?
Oh, tell me, dearest brother,
Where do the wild winds go
When at the quiet even
They cease awhile to blow ?
Boy. I cannot tell you, Minna,
I know not where they go-
Perhaps an angel keeps them
And will not let them blow.
No-do you not remember
God holds them in his fists ?*
And he can rouse the tempest
Or hush it as he lists.
OH, YES, God holds them, sister,
And so we need not fear,
In wind, or wave, or thunder,
For He is ever near.
Girl. What are the winds ?—for often
They seem like angels' breath,
And often like the rushing wings
Of messengers of death.
And sometimes, gentle brother,
I've thought they spoke to me,
And asked if they might bear me on-
On to eternity!
* See Proverbs, xxx., 4.
Oh, tell me, dearest Henry,
What those wild breezes are;
Are they mighty spirits coming
From some far-distant star?
Boy. Strange thoughts are thine, sweet Minna;
I should not like the task
Of answering all the questions
You love so much to ask.
I know not what the zephyrs
Of summer hours may be,
Nor yet the fierce winds rushing
Like giants o'er the sea.
In heaven there are no tempests,
No stormy wind doth blow;
No mountains there are circled
With diadems of snow.
One thing I know,-that Jesus
Just guides them as He will,
And bids the raging tempest
And angry waves be still.
And so when winds blow roughly,
Dear Minna, we should pray,
And God will safely keep us
From harm by night and day.
THE WISE CHOICE.
[Cheerful and bold.]
A curly-headed little fellow,
With roguish lip and bright blue eye,
Who laid his head upon the pillow
Just when the sun had left the sky,
Was asked one day, by some one near him,
"And what do you intend to be?"
And I was pleased and touched to hear him
Answer with sweet simplicity,
As if he knew what he should fancy,
Wee, laughing baby as he was,
Of all the thouand occupations
This wide, wide world to offer has :
He fixed his eye upon the speaker,
And slightly tossed his curly head,
As with a voice as sweet as eager,
"I'm going to be a man," he said.
NO ONE WILL SEE ME.
[Bold and earnest.]
"No one will see me," said little John Day,
For his father and mother were out of the way,
And he was at home all alone;
"No one will see me,' so he climbed on a chair,
And peeped in the cupboard to see what was there,
Which of course he ought not to have done.
There stood in the cupboard, so sweet and so nice,
A plate of plum-cake in full many a slice,
And apples so ripe and so fine;
"Now no one will see me," said John to himself, As he stretched out his arm to reach up to the shelf; "THIS APPLE, AT LEAST, SHALL BE MINE.'
John paused, and put back the nice apple so red,
For he thought of the words of his kind mother had said,
When she left all these things in his care;
"And no one will see me," thought he, "is not true;
For I've read that God sees us in all that we do,
And is with us everywhere."
WELL DONE, JOHN ; your father and mother obey,
TRY EVER TO PLEASE THEM; and mind what they say,
Even when they are absent from you;
And never forget that, though no one is nigh,
Yon cannot be hid from the glance of God's eye,
Who notices all that you do.
WHAT CAN WE DO FOR JESUS?
[Earnest and cheerful.]
What can we do for Jesus,
This little Sabbath band?
How can we aid in spreading
The gospel through the land?
How can we pull down error,
HOW ROOT OUT SIN AND VICE,
When they are all so MIGHTY,
So low and weak our voice?
I know I can love Jesus,
AND THIS I TRY TO DO;
And I can tell to others
That my heart is made new.
I can ask them to love him,
And go to heaven with me;
But they heed not our pastor,
And will they hear to me?
I can't do much for Jesus,
But this one thing I'll do-
I'LL TRY AND NOT DISPLEASE HIM,
BUT SEEK HIS WILL TO KNOW.
HASTE NOT-REST NOT.
[Bold and vigorous.]
Without haste! without rest!
Bind the motto to thy breast!
Bear it with thee as a spell;
Storm or sunshine guard it well!
Heed not flowers that round thee bloom;
Bear it onwards to the tomb !
Haste not-let no thoughtless deed
Mar for e'er the spirit's speed;
Ponder well and know the right,
ONWARD THEN WITH ALL THY MIGHT;
Haste not-years can ne'er atone
For one reckless action done.
REST NOT! life is sweeping by,
DO AND DARE BEFORE YOU DIE;
SOMETHING MIGHTY AND SUBLIME
LEAVE BEHIND TO CONQUER TIME;
Glorious 'tis to live for aye,
When these forms have passed away!
HASTE NOT! REST NOT! CALMLY WAIT!
Meekly bear the storms of fate;
DUTY BE THY POLAR GUIDE-
DO THE RIGHT, WHATE'ER BETIDE!
HASTE NOT! REST NOT! CONFLICTS PAST, GOD SHALL CROWN THY WORK AT LAST!
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