IN MEMORY OF ANNIE, DIED JULY 11, 1847.
Thou"rt gone, thou lovely gem, I trust To grace the crown of Zion"s King; And we thy body to the dust Commit with faith unwavering.
Thou wast just long enough with us To charm our hearts and claim our low; And now thou"rt gone. Why is it thus?
Did Jesus need thy soul above?
For twenty weeks thy lovely face, Thy pleasing smiles, thy temper mild, Have made thy father hope to trace The mother in her darling child.
And yet thou hast for some time seemed Too fair a flower to bloom below.
Thy death but proves our Father deemed It best that thou in Heaven should"st grow.
And knowing, as I well may know That this vain world is full of trial, I would not say against the blow, Though it may cause me self-denial.
Now, while I write, my thoughts ascend More fleetly than the lightning"s flame To that blest place where lowly bend G.o.d"s saints, In worship of his name.
And there methinks I see thee join With mother and a numerous throng.
In praise of Him who is Divine, To whom all honor does belong.
Why should we grudge to part with thee?
Thou went our Heavenly father"s own; And he far better knows than we What"s best to do, as will be shown.
And yet it seems so hard to part--, To part with those we love so dearly, That, though the keenness of the smart Is gone through Jesus" death most clearly,
We cannot help but mourn and weep At losing for a time such treasure.
But we"ll, rejoice that those who sleep In Christ, shall, in unbounded measure,
Enjoy true happiness and peace In yon fair World, where pain not tears.
Are either felt or seen; where cease All sorrow and perplexing fears,
TO MRS. H. BATTSON.
1847.
To you, dear sister, I would now address A rude production of my rhyming brain; And if it does increase your happiness, Of this intrusion you will not complain.
Margaret, nine years have nearly rolled away, Since I first met on at your father"s place.
Well I remember, to the very day, My first glad glimpse of your young smiling face.
More, I remember for, almost forlorn, I was received well "neath that friendly roof, And such pure kindness unto me was shown As put my grat.i.tude to strongest proof.
May I not hope that our dear Saviour took As done to him what then was done for me?
If so, your names are written in his book, As an a.s.sembled universe may see.
"Tis now, when one not only dear to me, But to you all, has reached the World of Bliss, That I am led more clearly still to see The grandeur which in our Religion is.
May I not hope that in some small degree, The exercise of my poor gifts did tend To lead the youthful, loving sisters three Beneath Christ"s yoke their willing necks to bend?
And now what shall I say? You are a wife; A mother"s joys, I trust, will soon be ours.
O, may you still in blest conjugal life Find that true grace which evermore endues.
And may you live for many years to come That life which none but Christians true can live.
Press forward now to reach your heavenly home; A sacrifice to G.o.d your being give.
And may the Lord give Grace to one and all, That we may serve him while we stay below; Then, in due time He will our spirits call To share that bliss he can alone bestow.
TO MR. AND MRS. W. BATTY, OF PARIS.
1847.
Brother and sister dear, my stay I prolong here, While an effusion can flow from my pen.
May it you gratify, your minds now satisfy, That I may have courage to try it again.
Do thou, my dear brother--for there is no other Has a claim upon me if thou be denied-- Accept from me the lay I in grat.i.tude pay For services rendered when I was so tried.
When by great sickness low, I was some years ago, Thy interest with mine was clearly as one.
For me thou wast striving, thyself wast depriving Of needful repose when thy day"s work was done.
In view then of thy strong affection As shown to me, my feelings flow; And, while I enjoy reflection, I"ll strive my grat.i.tude to show.
I saw thy conduct with emotion, Prayed my G.o.d to own and bless What thou didst through love"s devotion, To increase my happiness.
"Twas then I sought thy soul"s Salvation; In prayer besought the Lord to make What proved to me severe probation A blessing to thee for Christ"s" sake.
And now I see thee with thy wife, Ranked amongst the heirs of Glory, Partakers of Eternal Life Through faith in sweet Redemption"s Story.
A blessing this, which fleeting Time Can not unfold in all its brightness, As "twill be seen when in Heaven"s prime We walk its streets in robes of whiteness.
Hail happy day! thy near approach Inspires our hearts with joy and gladness, Enables us to bear reproach, Takes from our hearts much of their sadness.
Brother and sister dear, let us while we are here Cling unto Jesus, our very best friend; That when Death shall come we may soon reach our home, And gain Felicity never to end.
FIRESIDE THOUGHTS OF ANN, MY FORMER WIFE.
Wrapt of late in solemn musing On the checkered scenes of life, Peace was o"er my mind diffusing As I thought of Ann, my wife.
Pure in life and conversation, Full of smiles and modest worth, Showing calmest resignation When sad trials called it forth.
Sweet and softly o"er me stealing, Like a pleasant zephyr"s breath, Came pure faith, my sore heart healing As I thought of Ann in death.
In her prime and beauty dying, Full of love and heavenly joy, Safe in Christ, stern Death, defying Nothing could her peace destroy.
Faith and fancy both combining, Blessings to me freely given, Keep my soul from e"er repining, As I think of Ann in Heaven.
TO MY BROTHER JAMES.