The voice that cries

Of Christ from high,

And judgment nigh

From opening skies.

Your God e'en now doth stand,
Within heav'n's opening door,
His fan is in His hand,

And He will purge His floor;
The wheat He claims

And with Him stows,

The chaff He throws

To deathless flames.

On our dull ears still sound,
Lest here we sleep in night,
Till judgment come,
And on our path

Shall burst the wrath,

And deathless doom.

O God, with love's sweet might,
Who dost anoint and arm
Christ's soldier for the fight

With spells that shield from harm,

Thrice blessed Three,

Heav'n's endless days

Shall sing Thy praise

Eternally..

AT THE SECOND VESPERS.

This is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face, which shall prepare Thy way before Thee.— MATT. XI.

"Quid moras nectis? Domino jubenti."

WHY linger'st thou, great John? thy Lord commands;

Yea, He who washes souls with living fires More pure than liquid lightnings, He requires And bears the cleansing river from Thy hands.

How sunk thy soul, when there in Jordan's bed
He bow'd his head, before thee all unmeet
To take the sandals from His sacred feet,
Before thee bow'd His more than holy head!

See from the heav'ns, descending like a dove,
There hovers now a brightly-glowing cloud;
The unutterable voice is heard aloud,
The awful Three in One, below, above.

But thou art bent to preach the avenging rod
Of justice, and, the flag of peace unfurl'd,
The victim come to cleanse the guilty world,-
To point out the unspotted Lamb of God.

Careless of thine own honour, thou to cease
Didst hasten, like the star before the day,
Willing thyself to vanish hence away,—
'Tis meet that thou depart, and He increase.

But not alone shalt thou with thy life's breath Bear witness,—one thing yet to thee remains, Boldly the truth to speak, and bear the chains, And go before thy Lord in murderous death.

In Thee our strains shall end, Thee ever sing,
The eternal Father, and the eternal Son,
And the eternal Spirit, Three in One,

Whom heav'n and earth adore, sole God and King.

ST. PAUL.

I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom; for I determined not to know any thing among you, but Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.-1 COR. ii.

ENOUGH, O Paul, enough, and now

A crown in Heav'n awaits thy brow,
Thy earthly toils are nearly done,
Thy heavenly prize is all but won;
Long toss'd by ills on land and sea,
The shore is all but gain'd by thee.

Long time 'mid stonings, rods, and chains,
Watchings and cares and dying pains,
Thee Christ upon His cross doth hold,
In daily dyings now grown old;
He bids thee now no more remain,
And unto thee to die is gain.

Love's tender bowels yearning strong,―
They for whom thou didst toil so long