She sees new shoots around her sprung,

And branches not her own!

Ah me, take heed, thou faith-engrafted shoot,
Lest thou be sever'd from the Life-supporting Root!

Glory to Thee, the Living Three,

The Everlasting Son,

And Thee, who gavest us to be

Made in that Body one,

And Spirit, spreading life through every limb,

Oh! graft again the lost-the grafted keep in Him.

UNTIL THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY.

AT MIDNIGHT.

Men of stature shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine, they shall come after thee, they shall fall down unto thee; they shall make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God.-ISAIAH xlv.

"Quà lapsu tacito stella loquacibus."

THE star before doth stilly glide
With gently-speaking rays,

The seers pursue the wondrous guide
With earnest feet and gaze;

And now the heav'n-led wanderers come
To towering Salem's mountain home,

And there have lost the friendly star,

As in his darkling mid career
The star deserts the mariner

On nightly seas afar.

They little deem of envious arts,
No princely wrath they fear,

But for their King, with guileless hearts,
They seek both far and near;

Faith ne'er shall simple hearts deceive,
For though the heav'nly Star may leave,
From Holy Writ breaks forth the light;
The strangers to the King are brought,
By His own people set at naught,

And witness the dread sight.

And we with them would praise our King The Father, Son, and Spirit sing,

The Spirit who doth from both proceed; The herald star may guide the feet, But Thou alone, blest Paraclete,

Can the dark spirit lead.

ON THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY.

AT THE FIRST VESPERS.

Jerusalem shall be holy, and there shall no stranger pass through her any more; and it shall come to pass in that day that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Jordan shall overflow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord, and shall water the valley of thorns.-JOEL iii.

"Clamantis, ecce, vox sonans."

JUDEA's desert heard a sound

Of one that cried aloud,

They flocked the holy John around
With sin and sadness bowed.

Lo, 'mid that guilty company
A sinless Lamb drew near,
His blood alone that crowd can free
From guilt and shame and fear.

Before the sun a taper dim,

John stands, and meekly pleads,
Nor pours the hallowing wave; of Him

The Baptist washing needs.

But to obey his God 'tis meet,
Though He Himself depress,
Prepar'd all fulness to complete,
Perfect in righteousness.

Confessor, and great Harbinger,
Thou Baptist of the wave,
The Baptist He of living fire

The secret soul to lave!

To Him who washed us with His blood,

As hath been heretofore,
To Father, and to Spirit good,
Be glory evermore.

AT MIDNIGHT.

These waters issue out toward the East; they shall be healed, and every thing shall live whither the river cometh; because their waters issued out of the sanctuary.-EZEK. xlvii.

"Non abluunt lymphæ Deum."

It is not that the wave can wash our God,
But that our God doth wash the limpid wave;
Touch'd by His flesh, as by a healing rod,

Water hath learn'd new virtue, strong to save.