4 Speak gently to the erring ones; They must have toiled in vain; Perchance unkindness made them so; O, win them back again!
5 Speak gently,--"tis a little thing, Dropped in the heart"s deep well; The good, the joy, that it may bring, Eternity shall tell.
286. C. M. Jones Very.
Kind Words.
1 Turn not from him who asks of thee A portion of thy store; Thou poor in worldly goods may"st be, Yet canst give what is more.
2 The balm of comfort thou canst pour Into his grieving mind, Who oft is turned from wealth"s proud door, With many a word unkind.
3 Does any from the false world find Naught but reproach and scorn?
Does any, stung by words unkind, Wish that he ne"er was born?
4 Do thou raise up his drooping heart, Restore his wounded mind; Though naught of wealth thou canst impart Yet still thou may"st be kind.
5 And oft again thy words shall wing Backward their course to thee, And in thy breast will prove a spring Of pure felicity.
287. C. M. Anonymous.
"Neither Do I Condemn Thee."
1 O, if thy brow, serene and calm, From earthly stain is free, View not with scorn the erring one,-- He once was pure like thee.
2 O, if the smiles of love are thine, Its joyous ecstasy, Shun not the poor forsaken one,-- He once was loved like thee!
3 And still, "mid shame, and guilt, and woe, One Being loves him still, Who, blessing thee, hath poured on him The world"s extremest ill.
4 He knows the secret lure which led Those youthful steps astray; He knows that they who holiest are Might fall from Him away.
5 Then, with the love of him who said "Go thou, and sin no more,"
Save, save, the sinner from despair, And peace and hope restore.
288. L. M. Scott.
Charitable Judgment.
1 All-seeing G.o.d! "tis Thine to know The springs whence wrong opinions flow,-- To judge, from principles within, When frailty errs, and when we sin.
2 Who, among men, great Lord of all, Thy servant to his bar shall call?
Judge him, for modes of faith, Thy foe, Or doom him to the realms of woe?
3 Who with another"s eye can read, Or worship by another"s creed?
Trusting Thy grace, we form our own, And bow to Thy commands alone.
4 If wrong, correct; accept, if right; While, faithful, we improve our light, Condemning none, but zealous still To learn and follow all Thy will.
289. 9 & 4s. M. Bowring.
The Spirit Giveth Life.
1 "Tis not the gift, but "tis the spirit With which "tis given, That on the gift confers a merit, As seen by Heaven.
2 "Tis not the prayer, however boldly It strikes the ear; It mounts in vain, it falls but coldly If not sincere.
3 "Tis not the deeds the loudest lauded That brightest shine; There"s many a virtue unapplauded, And yet divine.
4 "Tis not the word that sounds the sweetest That"s soonest heard; A sigh, when humbled thou retreatest, May be preferred.
5 The outward show may be delusive,-- A cheating name; The inner spirit is conclusive Of worth or shame.
VII. THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.
290. P. M. Bulfinch.
Prayer and Action.
1 O, not alone on the mount of prayer Must the Christian serve his G.o.d; But the burden of daily life must bear, And tread where his Saviour trod.
2 Yet with him through every changing scene Doth the spirit of prayer abide; When earth is lovely, and heaven serene, That spirit his course shall guide.
3 And when the storm rages, and woe and wrath Would an earth-born courage quell, He knows that his G.o.d is around his path, And ordereth all things well.