796. L. M. Mrs. Sigourney.
The Upas Tree.
1There sprang a tree of deadly name:
Its poisonous breath, its baleful dew
Scorched the green earth like lava-flame,
And every plant of mercy slew.
2From clime to clime its branches spread
Their fearful fruits of sin and woe;
The prince of darkness loved its shade,
And toiled its fiery seeds to sow.
3Faith poured her prayer at midnight hour;
The hand of zeal at noon-day wrought;
An armor of celestial power
The children of the cross besought.
4Behold the axe its pride doth wound;
Through its cleft boughs the sun doth shine;
Its blasted blossoms strew the ground:
Give glory to the arm divine.
5And still Jehovah's aid implore,
From isle to isle, from sea to sea,
From peopled earth's remotest shore,
To root that deadly Upas Tree.
797. 7s. & 6s. M. J. G. Adams.
Dedication of a Temperance Hall.
1'Mid homes and shrines forsaken
Of joy and peace divine,
Faint hearts new strength have taken,
A light is seen to shine!
Its beaming revelations
Are shed in mercy far;
A guide to all the nations--
The glorious Temperance star!
2Hushed be that wail of sadness,
Life, life has come again;
Awake the song of gladness,
Swell high the choral strain!
The lost returns from straying
In sin's destructive way;
That curse is turned to praying,
That night to blissful day!
3God of this day! Our Father!
In humble praise to thee,
Within these walls we gather--
The spared, the blest, the free;
To hail thy grace far-sounding--
Our Temple dedicate
To hope and life abounding
In Man regenerate!
4Rest thou within it ever,
As o'er the ark of old;
And here, O may we never
In our great strife wax cold.
Nerve every arm and spirit
For each successful blow,
Till Temperance shall inherit
All temples here below!
798. 6s. & 4s. M. Pierpont.
Prayer for the Abolition of Slavery.
1With thy pure dews and rains,
Wash out, O God! the stains
From Afric's shore;
And while her palm trees bud,
Let not her children's blood,
With her broad Niger's flood,
Be mingled more.
2Quench, righteous God! the thirst,
That Congo's sons hath cursed--
The thirst for gold;
Shall not thy thunders speak,
Where Mammon's altars reek,
Where maids and matrons shriek,
Bound, bleeding, sold?
3Hear'st thou, O God! those chains,
That clank on Freedom's plains,
By Christians wrought?
Those who these chains have worn,
Christians from home have torn,
Christians have hither borne,
Christians have bought!
4Lord! wilt thou not, at last,
From thine own image cast
Away all cords,
Save those of love, which brings
Man, from his long wand'rings,
Back--to the King of kings,--
The Lord of lords?
799. L. M. Mrs. Chapman.
For Faithfulness in the Cause of Human Freedom.
1O God of freedom! hear us pray
For steadfast hearts to toil as one;
Till thy pure law hath boundless sway--
Thy will in heaven and earth be done.
2A piercing voice of grief and wrong
Goes upward from the groaning earth;
Most true and holy Lord! how long?--
In majesty and might come forth.
3Yet, Lord! remembering mercy too,
Behold th' oppressor in his sin;
Make all his actions just and true,
Renew his wayward heart within.
800. L. M. Anonymous.
Prayer for Zeal and Love.
1O Lord! whose forming hand one blood
To all the tribes and nations gave,
And giv'st to all their daily food,
Look down in pity on the slave!
2Fetters and chains and stripes remove,
Deliv'rance to the captives give;
And pour the tide of light and love
Upon their souls, and bid them live.
3Oh! kindle in our hearts a flame
Of zeal, thy holy will to do;
And bid each one, who loves thy name,
Love all his bleeding brethren too.
4Through all thy temples, let the stain
Of prejudice each bosom flee;
And, hand in hand, let Afric's train,
With Europe's children, worship thee.
801. 8s. & 7s. M. Mrs. Livermore.
Prayer for the Slave.
1Father, who of old descended
From thy throne above the sky,
And thine Israel's rights defended,
Hear the bondman's anguished cry!
2Hear how Ethiopia crieth,
Kneeling on the blood-stained sod;
And how sable Afric' sigheth,
Lifting up her hands to God!
3From the grasp of strong oppression,
From the tyrant's rusting chain,
And from slavery's deep depression,
With its life-long hours of pain;
4From our country's wide savannas,
Let the cry come up to thee,
Let the prayers become hosannas--
Father, set thy children free!
802. 7s. M. Mrs. Follen.
That God Would hear the Cries of the Slave.
1Lord! deliver; thou canst save;
Save from evil, Mighty God!
Hear--oh! hear the kneeling slave,
Break--oh! break th' oppressor's rod.
2May the captive's pleading fill
All the earth, and all the sky;
Every other voice be still,
While he pleads with God on high.
3He, whose ear is everywhere,
Who doth silent sorrow see,
Will regard the captive's prayer,
Will from bondage set him free.
4From the tyranny within,
Save thy children, Lord! we pray;
Chains of iron, chains of sin,
Cast forever, cast away.
5Love to man, and love to God,
Are the weapons of our war;
These can break the oppressor's rod--
Burst the bonds that we abhor.
803. L. M. J. G. Whittier.
For a Liberty Meeting on the Fourth of July.
1O Thou! whose presence went before
Our fathers in their weary way,
As with thy chosen moved of yore
The fire by night--the cloud by day!
2When, from each temple of the free,
A nation's song ascends to heaven,
Most Holy Father! unto thee,
May not our humble prayer be given,--
3For those to whom this day can bring,
Not, as to us, the joyful thrill;--
For those, who, under freedom's wing,
Are bound in slavery's fetters still:--
4And grant, O Father! that the time
Of Earth's deliverance may be near,
When every land, and tongue, and clime,
The message of thy love shall hear.
5When smitten, as with fire from heaven,
The captive's chain shall sink in dust,
And to his fettered soul be given
The glorious freedom of the just.
804. L. M. Miss Weston.
"'Tis good to be merciful."
1'Tis good to weep and mourn for those,
Crushed down by Slavery's iron hand,
And feel, while numbering o'er their woes,
Strength for the just and true to stand.
2'Tis good and true to say to those,
Who claim a right in human kind,
"Mercy and Justice are your foes,
And they shall certain triumph find."
3'Tis good--'tis blessed, to say to all,
"Arise, to help the wretched slave,
Upon your God for courage call,
And in his strength go forth and save."
4Lord! this is what we seek to do;
Grant us thy grace to do it well;
Help us thy glory to pursue,
And of thy promises to tell.
805. P. M. H. Ware, Jr.
The Progress of Freedom.
1Oppression shall not always reign;
There comes a brighter day;
When freedom, burst from every chain,
Shall have triumphant way.
Then right shall over might prevail,
And truth, like hero armed in mail,
The hosts of tyrant wrong assail,
And hold eternal sway.
2What voice shall bid the progress stay
Of truth's victorious car?
What arm arrest the growing day,
Or quench the solar star?
What reckless soul, though stout and strong,
Shall dare bring back the ancient wrong,
Oppression's guilty night prolong,
And freedom's morning bar?
3The hour of triumph comes apace,
The fated, promised hour,
When earth upon a ransomed race
Her bounteous gifts shall shower.
Ring, Liberty, thy glorious bell!
Bid high thy sacred banner swell!
Let trump on trump the triumph tell
Of Heaven's redeeming power.
806. 6s. & 10s. M. Milton, Gardner, and Dwight.
Peace.
1No war nor battle's sound
Was heard the earth around,--
No hostile chiefs to furious combat ran;
But peaceful was the night
In which the Prince of Light
His reign of peace upon the earth began.
2No conqueror's sword he bore,
Nor warlike armor wore,
Nor haughty passions roused to contest wild;
In peace and love he came,
And gentle was the reign,
Which o'er the earth he spread by influence mild.
3Unwilling kings obeyed,
And sheathed the battle blade,
And called their bloody legions from the field;
In silent awe they wait,
And close the warrior's gate,
Nor know to whom their homage thus they yield.
4The peaceful conqueror goes,
And triumphs o'er his foes,
His weapons drawn from armories above;
Behold the vanquished sit
Submissive at his feet,
And strife and hate are changed to peace and love.
807. 6s. & 4s. M. E. Davis.
For an Anniversary Meeting of the Friends of Peace.
1Not with the flashing steel--
Not with the cannon's peal,
Or stir of drum,
But in the bonds of love;
Our white flag floats above,
Her emblem is the dove,
'Tis thus we come.
2The laws of Christian light,
These are our weapons bright,
Our mighty shield;
Christ is our leader high,
And the broad plains which lie
Beneath the blesséd sky,
Our battle field.
3On, then, in God's great name,
Let each pure spirit's flame
Burn bright and clear:
Stand firmly in your lot,
Cry ye aloud, "Doubt not,"
Be every fear forgot,
Christ leads us here.
4So shall Earth's distant lands
In happy, holy bands,
One brotherhood,
Together rise and sing,
And joyful offerings bring,
And Heaven's Eternal King
Pronounce it good.
808. C. M. Gibbons.
Prayer for Universal Peace.
1Lord, send thy word, and let it run,
Armed with thy Spirit's power;
Ten thousand shall confess its sway,
And bless the saving hour.
2Beneath the influence of thy grace
The barren wastes shall rise,
With sudden greens and fruits arrayed,
A blooming paradise.
3True holiness shall strike its root
In each regenerate heart,
Shall in a growth divine arise,
And heavenly fruits impart.
4Peace, with her olives crowned, shall stretch
Her wings from shore to shore;
No trump shall rouse the rage of war,
Nor murderous cannon roar.
5Lord, for those days we wait;--those days
Are in thy word foretold;
Fly swifter, sun and stars, and bring
This promised age of gold!
809. C. M. Anonymous.
The Gospel of Peace.
1Joy to the earth! the Prince of Peace
His banner has unfurled;
Let strife, and sin, and error cease,
And joy pervade the world!
2Praise ye the Lord! for truth and grace
His word and life display;
Let every soul his love embrace,
And own its gentle sway.
3Peace on the earth, good will to men,
Embraced the Gospel plan;
Let that sweet strain be heard again,
Which angel-tones began.
4Joy to the isles and lands afar,
Messiah reigns above;
Let every eye behold the star,
The star of light and love.
810. C. M. Mrs. Livermore.
Peace.
1No warlike sounds awoke the night,
Announcing Jesus' birth,
But angels borne on wings of light,
Who chanted "Peace to earth!"
2Not in the warrior's armor mailed
Was Christ the Saviour found;
Not striving, when by wrath assailed
Not with the laurel crowned.
3But meek and lowly was his life,
The gentle Prince of Peace,
Whose law condemns the hostile strife,
And bids dissensions cease.
4Then let the war-cry ne'er be rung
Beneath the smiling sky,
Nor to the clouds the banner flung
That tells of victory.
5But let the blissful period haste,
When, hushed the cannon's roar,
The sword shall cease mankind to waste,
And war shall be no more.
811. C. M. Anonymous.
Prospect of Universal Peace.
1O'er mountain tops, the mount of God,
In latter days, shall rise
Above the summits of the hills,
And draw the wondering eyes.
2The beams that shine from Zion's hill
Shall lighten every land;
The King who reigns in Salem's towers
Shall the whole world command.
3Nor war shall rage, nor hostile strife
Disturb those happy years;
To ploughshares men shall beat their swords,
To pruning-hooks their spears.
4No longer host, encountering host,
Shall crowds of slain deplore;
They'll lay the martial trumpet by,
And study war no more.
812. 7s. M. Lewins Mead Coll.
The Blessings of Peace.
1Peace! the welcome sound proclaim,
Dwell with rapture on the theme;
Loud, still louder, swell the strain:
Peace on earth, good will to men.
2Breezes! whispering soft and low,
Gently murmur as ye blow,
Breathe the sweet celestial strain,
Peace on earth, good will to men.
3Ocean's billows! far and wide
Rolling in majestic pride:
Loud still louder, swell the strain,
Peace on earth, good will to men.
4Christians! who these blessings feel,
And in adoration kneel;
Loud, still louder, swell the strain,
Praise to God, good will to men.
813. 8s. 7s. & 6s. M. Miss Fletcher.
Compassion for the Sinning.
1Think gently of the erring!
Lord, let us not forget,
However darkly stained by sin,
He is our brother yet.
Heir of the same inheritance!
Child of the self-same God!
He hath but stumbled in the path,
We have in weakness trod.
2Speak gently to him, brother;
Thou yet mayst lead him back,
With holy words, and tones of love,
From misery's thorny track.
Forget not thou hast often sinned,
And sinful yet must be:
Deal gently with the erring one,
As God hath dealt with thee.
814. 10s. M. Anonymous.
The Same.
1Breathe thoughts of pity o'er a brother's fall,
But dwell not with stern anger on his fault;
The grace of God alone holds thee, holds all;
Were that withdrawn, thou, too, wouldst swerve and halt.
2Send back the wand'rer to the Saviour's fold;
That were an action worthy of a saint;
But not in malice let the crime be told,
Nor publish to the world the evil taint.
3The Saviour suffers when his children slide;
Then is his holy name by men blasphemed
And he afresh is mocked and crucified,
Even by those his bitter death redeemed.
4Rebuke the sin, and yet in love rebuke;
Feel as one member in another's pain;
Win back the soul that his fair path forsook,
And mighty and rejoicing is thy gain!
815. L. M. Mrs. Livermore.
Reclaiming Power of Love.
1Jesus, what precept is like thine,
"Forgive, as ye would be forgiven!"
If heeded, O what power divine
Would then transform our earth to heaven.
2Not by the harsh or scornful word,
Should we our brother seek to gain,
Not by the prison or the sword,
The shackle, or the clanking chain.
3But from our spirits there must flow
A love that will his wrong outweigh;
Our lips must only blessings know,
And wrath and sin shall die away.
4'Twas heaven that formed the holy plan
To bring the wanderer back by love;
Thus let us win our brother, man,
And imitate thee, God above!
816. L. M. Miss Fletcher.
For the Prisoner.
1Father! we pray for those who dwell
Within the prison's gloomy cell!
For those whose souls are bending low
Beneath the weight of guilt and woe.
2Thy love hath kept our thorny way
And saved us from sin's iron sway;
Our brethren in a weaker hour
Have yielded to temptation's power.
3Teach us with humble hearts to feel,
How darkly on our brows the seal
Of guilt might now perchance be set,
Had we the same temptation met.
4Then while the error we would shun,
We still would aid the erring one
To turn from sin's unpitying sway,
To virtue's fair and pleasant way.
817. L. M. Miss Edgarton.
The Same.
1Oh shut not out sweet Pity's ray
From souls now clouded o'er by sin;
Touch their deep springs, and let the day
Of Christian love flow freely in.
2Send them kind missions, though their feet
No more again the world may tread;
Some pulse of better life may beat
In hearts that seem unmoved and dead.
3'Tis just that they should bear the pain
Of keen remorse and guilty shame;
But scorn may drive to crime again--
'Tis only love that can reclaim.
818. S. M. Miss Fletcher.
The Same.
1We come to thee, O God,
With hushed and solemn strain;
We come to plead for those who lie
Bound with the prisoner's chain.
2O, give them contrite hearts,
To feel their fearful sin,
And give to us a patient faith
Those erring ones to win.
3Give us to love thy law,
The paths of vice to shun,
But never harshly dare to spurn
The suffering sinful one.
819. S. M. Miss Martineau, alt.
The Coming of Christ in Power.
1Lord Jesus, come; for here
Our path through wilds is laid!
We watch as for the day-spring near,
Amid the breaking shade.
2Lord Jesus, come; for hosts
Meet on the battle plain:
The patriot mourns, the tyrant boasts,
And tears are shed like rain.
3Lord Jesus, come; for chains
Are still upon the slave;
Bind up his wounds, relieve his pains,
The pining bondman save.
4Hark! herald voices near,
Lead on thy happier day:
Come, Lord, and our hosannas hear;
We wait to strew thy way.
5Come, as in days of old,
With words of grace and power;
Gather us all within thy fold,
And let us stray no more.
820. C. M. R. Nicoll.
Honor all Men.
1I may not scorn the meanest thing
That on the earth doth crawl;
The slave who would not burst his chain,
The tyrant in his hall.
2The vile oppressor who hath made
The widowed mother mourn,
Though worthless, soulless he may stand,
I cannot, dare not scorn.
3The darkest night that shrouds the sky,
Of beauty hath a share:
The blackest heart hath sighs to tell
That God still lingers there.
821. C. M. Whittier.
The Call of Truth.
1Oh! not alone with outward sign,
Of fear, or voice from heaven,
The message of a truth divine,
The call of God, is given;
Awakening in the human heart,
Love for the true and right,
Zeal for the Christian's better part,
Strength for the Christian's fight.
2Though heralded by nought of fear,
Or outward sign or show;
Though only to the inward ear
It whisper soft and low;
Though dropping as the manna fell,
Unseen, yet from above,
Holy and gentle, heed it well:
The call to truth and love.
822. C. M. Lond. Inquirer.
Encouragement to Christian Effort.
1Scorn not the slightest word or deed,
Nor deem it void of power;
There's fruit in each wind-wafted seed,
Waiting its natal hour.
2A whispered word may touch the heart,
And call it back to life;
A look of love bid sin depart,
And still unholy strife.
3No act falls fruitless; none can tell
How vast its power may be;
Nor what results enfolded dwell
Within it silently.
4Work and despair not: bring thy mite,
Nor care how small it be;
God is with all that serve the right,
The holy, true, and free.
823. S. M. Enfield.
Forgiveness.
1I hear the voice of woe!
I hear a brother's sigh!
Then let my heart with pity flow,
With tears of love, my eye.
2I hear the thirsty cry!
The hungry beg for bread!
Then let my spring its stream supply,
My hand its bounty shed.
3The debtor humbly sues,
Who would, but cannot pay;
And shall I lenity refuse,
Who need it every day?
4And shall not wrath relent,
Touched by that humble strain,
My brother crying, "I repent,
Nor will offend again?"
5How else, on soaring wing,
Can hope bear high my prayer,
Up to thy throne, my God, my King,
To plead for pardon there?
824. 7s. M. Milman.
"And he arose and rebuked the winds and sea."
1Lord! thou didst arise and say,
To the troubled waters, "Peace,"
And the tempest died away,
Down they sank, the foaming seas;
And a calm and heaving sleep
Spread o'er all the glassy deep,
All the azure lake serene
Like another heaven was seen!
2Lord! thy gracious word repeat
To the billows of the proud!
Quell the tyrant's martial heat,
Quell the fierce and changing crowd!
Then the earth shall find repose,
From oppressions, and from woes;
And another heaven appear
On our world of darkness here!
SEAMEN'S HYMNS.
825. L. M. C. Wesley.
"They that go down to the sea in ships."
1Lord of the wide extended main!
Whose power the winds and seas controls,
Whose hand doth earth and heaven sustain,
Whose spirit leads believing souls;
2Throughout the deep thy footsteps shine;
We own thy way is in the sea,
O'erawed by majesty divine,
And lost in thine immensity!
3Infinite God! thy greatness spanned
These heavens, and meted out the skies;
Lo' in the hollow of thy hand
The measured waters sink and rise.
4Thee to perfection who can tell?
Earth and her sons beneath thee lie,
Lighter than dust within thy scale,
And less than nothing in thine eye.
826. L. M. Watts.
The Seaman's Song.
1Would you behold the works of God,
His wonders in the world abroad?
With hardy mariners survey
The unknown regions of the sea.
2They leave their native shores behind,
And seize the favor of the wind;
Till God command, and tempests rise,
That heave the ocean to the skies.
3When land is far, and death is nigh,
Bereaved of hope, to God they cry:
His mercy hears their loud address,
And sends salvation in distress.
4He bids the winds their wrath assuage,
And stormy tempests cease to rage;
The grateful band their fears give o'er
And hail with joy their native shore.
5O, may the sons of men record
The wondrous goodness of the Lord;
Let them their purest offerings bring,
And in the church his glory sing.
827. C. M. Mrs. Hemans.
"These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep."
1Oh God! thy name they well may praise,
Who to the deep go down,
And trace the wonders of thy ways,
Where rocks and billows frown.
2For many a fair majestic sight
Hath met their wandering eyes,
Beneath the streaming northern light
Or blaze of Indian skies.
3If glorious be that awful deep,
No human power can bind,
What then art thou, who bid'st it keep
Within its bounds confined!
4Let heaven and earth in praise unite,
Eternal praise to thee,
Whose word can rouse the tempest's might,
Or still the raging sea!
828. L. M. 6l. Anonymous.
The Mariner's Hymn.
1Lord of the sea!--thy potent sway
Old ocean's wildest waves obey;
The gale that whistles through the shrouds,
The storm that drives the frighted clouds,--
If but thy whisper order peace,
How soon their rude commotions cease!
2Lord of the sea!--the seaman keep
From all dangers of the deep!
When high the white-capped billows rise,
When tempests roar along the skies,
When foes or shoals awaken fear,--
O, in thy mercy be thou near.
3Lord of the sea!--a sea is life
Of care and sorrow, woe and strife!
With watchful pains we steer along,
To keep the right path, shun the wrong:
God grant, that, when we cease to roam,
We gain an everlasting home!
829. 7s. M. Mrs. Sigourney.
The Same.
1When the parting bosom bleeds,
When our native shore recedes,
When the wild and faithless main
Takes us to her trust again,
Father! view a sailor's woe--
Guide us wheresoe'er we go.
2When the lonely watch we keep,
Silent on the mighty deep,
While the boisterous surges hoarse
Bear us daily on our course,
Eye that never slumbers! shed
Holy influence on our head.
3When the Sabbath's peaceful ray,
O'er the ocean's breast doth play,
Though no throngs assemble there,
No sweet church-bell warns to prayer,
Spirit! let thy presence be
Sabbath to the unresting sea.
4When in foreign lands we roam,
Far from kindred, far from home,
Stranger-eyes our conduct view,
Heathen-bands our steps pursue,
Let our conversation be
Fitting those who follow thee.
5Should pale death, with arrow dread,
Make the ocean-cave our bed,
Though no eye of love might see
Where that shrouded grave shall be--
God! who hear'st the surges roll,
Deign to save the sailor's soul.
830. C. M. Madan's Coll.
Thanksgiving for Deliverance in a Storm.
1Our little bark, on boisterous seas,
By cruel tempests tossed,
Without one cheerful beam of hope,
Expecting to be lost,--
2We to the Lord, in humble prayer,
Breathed out our sad distress;
Though feeble, yet with contrite hearts,
We begged return of peace.
3Then ceased the stormy winds to blow;
The surges ceased to roll;
And soon again a placid sea
Spoke comfort to the soul.
4O, may our grateful, trembling hearts
Their hallelujahs sing
To him who hath our lives preserved,--
Our Father and our King.
831. 8s. M. H. F. Gould.
Hymn at Sea.
1O Thou who hast spread out the skies,
And measured the depths of the sea,
'Twixt heavens and ocean shall rise
Our incense of praises to thee.
2We know that thy presence is near
While heaves our bark far from the land;--
We ride o'er the deep without fear;--
The waters are held in thy hand.
3Eternity comes in the sound
Of billows that never can sleep!
There's Deity circling us round,--
Omnipotence walks o'er the deep!
4O Father, our eye is to thee,
As on for the haven we roll;
And faith in our Pilot shall be
An anchor to steady the soul.
832. L. M. Cowper.
Temptation compared to a Storm.
1The billows swell; the winds are high;
Clouds overcast my wintry sky:
Out of the depths to thee I call;
My fears are great, my strength is small.
2O Lord, the pilot's part perform,
And guide and guard me through the storm;
Defend me from each threatening ill;
Control the waves: say, "Peace! be still."