The Marriage Feast In Cana

 THE MARRIAGE FEAST IN CANA.

THERE was a marriage feast in Galilee;
The festal board was spread with viands
rare;
The joyous guests had met in commune sweet,
And he, the Man of Nazareth, was there.

Yes, he was there, that marriage, Eden-born,
Might share the sanction of his presence
sweet,
That round this holy ritual he might throw
A sacred halo, glorious and complete.

"The wine has failed; "the murmuring word
is passed.
And soon from lip to lip is borne to him;
Then sweeter far than music sounds his voice,
''Fill ye these water vessels to the brim. "  

'Tis done: and wine, rare, purple. rich, and
sweet,
Th' astonished servants, smiling, bear away;
The while, methinks, the wondering guests
repeat,
"Ah, we have seen strange things —
strange things to-day."

New, unfermented wine, the Master made.
Not the mad wine that fills the drunkard's
cup,
But such as he, the bridegroom, gives his
guests
Who at the marriage of the Lamb shall sup,
And drink it new within that kingdom fair —
His Father's glorious kingdom over there.

E'en thus it is along life's rugged path;
Ofttimes it seems the wine of life is spent.
And we have nought to offer those we love
But empty vessels, tears, and discontent.

O let us fill these empty vessels full
With flowing sap, fresh from the living
Vine;
And we shall find, before the feast is done,
That He has turned life's water into wine

The Baptism and Temptation

 THE BAPTISM AND TEMPTATION

At last th' appointed hour has come;
Christ bows 'neath Jordan's swelling wave;
The mighty Baptist leads him forth
Triumphant from that watery grave.

And from the heaven, serene and blue,
While wondering souls with awe are stirred,
A dove-like form appears in view,
Th' Eternal Father's voice is heard:
''Lo, this is my beloved Son —
The Prince of Peace, th' Anointed One!"
O holy hour! O sacred spot!
And yet, and yet, they knew him not.

And now the Spirit leads him far
From busy haunts of life away,
Where gloomy shades of darkness are,
'Mong fierce and angry beasts of prey;
The Holy Spirit bids him go
To wrestle with the wily foe.

There, in that wilderness alone,
With fainting form and pallid face,
Grievous temptations fierce and strong
He suffers, for our fallen race.

But with the Spirit's mighty sword
The prince of hell is put to flight;
The strength of the Eternal Word
Has conquered in Jehovah's might.

O tempted heart! when sorely tried
Amid life's desert, drear and broad,
When hope and strength and courage fail,
Look up, and put thy trust in God.

He will not fail thee; he who bore
Temptations fierce and long for thee,
Who in the wilderness prevailed.
Will give thee strength and victory.

Cleansing The Temple

 CLEANSING THE TEMPLE.

AGAIN the Paschal feast had come,
And strangers throng the busy street;
While in the temple's sacred courts
The buyer and the seller meet.
Shrill, babbling voices, wild and rude —
The shouting of the multitude ;
The lowing cattle from the fold,
The coo of doves, the clink of gold ;
The money-changer's greedy cry, —
Loud, eager voices, fierce and high, —
Discordant sounds from far and near
Are borne upon the startled ear.

"Take these things hence!" above the din
There sounds a voice of stern command;
The while, the awestruck throng behold
A godlike Presence, firm and grand.
With scourge of cords within his hand.

Then, like a mighty torrent rushed
The surging mass, from pen and fold;
The drivers with their cattle fled,
The money-changers, with their gold;
The screaming throng, the bellowing herds,
The bleating sheep, the frightened birds, —
All, all, in one vast, rushing tide,
From that stern Presence flee to hide.
In wild dismay they flee in fear.
As though th' Avenger's sword were near 

Sermon On The Mount

 SERMON ON THE MOUNT

O holy, sacred mount! where sat.
In human form, the Prince of Heaven;
When, neath Judea's purple skies.
The sweet beatitudes were given:
Those gracious words, which echo still
Adown the corridors of time.
Till earth's remotest lands have heard
Their glorious symphony sublime.

"Blest are the poor in spirit," — they
Whose hearts are filled with godly fear ;
"And blessed they who mourn," for, lo.
The heavenly Comforter is near.
Thrice blessed are the meek ; for they
The promised earth made new shall tread :
" Blest they who thirst for righteousness,
And hunger; for they shall be fed."

''Blest are the merciful, " and those
Who gentle mercy's paths have trod;
And sweet the benediction sure, —
"The pure in heart shall see their God."
O blessed Peace ! How sweet thy sound
'Mid noisy earth's discord and dying
Her restless sons of war and strife
None but the peacemaker shall win.

And O, thrice blessed shall ye be
If for the truth of God ye stand
When Persecution dark and dire
Shall reach you with her bloody hand.
Rejoice and be exceeding glad;
The prophets suffered e'en like this.
And counted not their lives as dear

Exchange for heaven's eternal bliss.
When wicked men shall falsely bring
' Dark accusations 'gainst your name,
And slander bold her banners fling,
Truth's holy legions to defame;
If thou, like Daniel, boldly face
The king's command, the lion's paw,
If thou shalt conquer in the race
And loyal prove to God's just law,
The King of Heaven shall be thy Lord,
Eternal bliss, thy sure reward!

Healing The Nobleman's Son

HEALING THE NOBLEMAN'S SON

O'er old Capernaum the sun had set,
And evening shadows gathered, dark
and gray,
As silent watchers bent, with lashes wet,
Above the cot where a frail sufferer lay.

The stars shone out like gems of purest light,
And stormy Galilee was calm and mild;
The calm blue waters kiss the wave-girt shore,
And chant a requiem to the dying child.

"Father, come closer, closer to my bed.
And let me lay in thine my fevered hand,
Before the vale of death my feet shall tread,
Before I journey to that shadowy land."

''My child, strange rumors met my ear to-day ;
For I have heard of Christ, the mighty One:
He tarrieth now by Cana's gates they say;
I go to seek him, that he heal my son."

He went; his piteous plea the Master heard,
As even now he hears faith's earnest cry;
In tones of agony the father pleads,
''O sir, come down before my son shall die!"

Then, sweet as music, sounds the Master's
voice, —
Sweeter than birdsong in a desert drear:
Thy prayer is heard; O father, go thy way;
Thy little son shall live ; be of good cheer."

When from those sacred lips there falls the
word,
The pulse of health springs through that
fevered frame ;
Soon old Capernaum the news has heard.
And wondering souls believe on Jesus' name. 

Repulse At Nazareth

REPULSE AT NAZARETH.

He came unto his own, O shameful story!
His own received him not— the Prince of Glory.

THEY hated him; and yet he came
On love's sweet errand, down below, —
To lift the sons of Adam up,
To tell of life and joy and hope,
To drain for man the bitterest cup,
And save- him from eternal woe.

That he, the spotless Son of God,
The Heir of Heaven's eternal throne,
Should count as loss all earthly fame,
For man should suffer woe and shame,
A blasted and dishonored name,
And yet be hated by his own!

E'en Nazareth rejects his love!
The home where he had long time dwelt,
And now he treads her streets once oaore,
Where he had led, in days of yore.
His spotless life, and o'er and o'er
In humble prayer had knelt.

But they despise — reject him ! they
To whom he brings the message sweet;
They buffet him in angry strife,
And seek to take his sinless life;
Seditious, cruel threats are rife,
As scribes and rulers meet.

Yet, filled with mercy, o'er and o'er
Those sacred hills and vales he trod.
Where spires from myriad cities gleamed
As Judah's siin upon them beamed.
And like one mighty city seemed
From Lebanon's green sod.

To these, the pitying Master came.
To bear his message from above;
O Galilee! thou sacred place;
O Israel! ye favored race;
Why did'st thou turn away thy face,
And spurn a Savior's love? 

The Draught Of Fishes

 THE DRAUGHT OF FISHES

THE rising sun was scarcely seen
Above Judea's hills so green,
And springtime flowers, bright and rare,
Dotted the landscape everywhere.

The gentle zephyrs, soft and free,
Ruffled the waves of Galilee;
And where the morning sunbeams glanced,
Ten thousand diamonds gleamed and danced.

Already, o'er the cliffs along,
Wendeth an eager, anxious throng;
The haughty priest, the man of care,
The lame, the halt, the blind, are there;
For they have heard the joyous cry, —
''The MIGHTY Healer passeth by."

In Simon's boat the Master sat,
And taught the people on the shore;
While scribes and elders stand amazed
To hear such words of heavenly lore.
O Blessed Christ! How vast thy love.
Unmeasured as the heights above I

''Simon, launch out into the deep;"
"Let down the nets into the sea;"
"Yea, Master, at thy word we will.
Though vainly we have toiled," said he.

The net is cast into the deep,
And quick within its meshes leap
The myriad fishes, small and great,
Until the sudden, mighty weight
Has filled the ships, — a cumbrous store, —
Till scarce the fishers reach the shore.

Then Simon bows upon the sod.
And worships him: "O Lord my God,
Depart from me! for self and sin
Still gain the mastery within!"
And then, methinks, these words I hear:
''O Simon — wherefore dost thou fear?"
"Let peace reign in thy heart again;
From henceforth thou shall fish for men,"

Ye wayworn sons of Adam's race,
O listen as these words of grace
Come rolling through the ages dim:
"They left their nests, and followed Him.''

"Come leave your nets, ye sons of men;"
These living words of sacred fire
Fall on our weary hearts again
Like music from a heavenly lyre, —
Like chanting of the Seraphim:
"Come, leave your nets, and follow him."

The Woman At The Well

 THE WOMAN AT THE WELL.

THE sun rose high o'er Gerizim
And Ebal's mountains dark and grim,
As through Samaria s busy street
Echoed a woman's hurrying feet;
The word is borne with bated breath, —
''Come see the Man of Nazareth,
By Jacob's well he sitteth now,
A holy radiance on his brow."

"He telleth of a fountain free,
Flowing for helpless souls like me;
Of Christ, the Anointed Son of God;
Of streams of mercy, free and broad;
Of lov^e and pity, hope and grace.
For the lost sons of Adam's race."

"Is not this he — the blessed Christ
Declared by holy men of old, —
The coming One, th' anointed King
Whom Moses and the seers fortold?
Aye," quoth the woman, " Who may tell?
Come, haste, he sitteth by the well."

They follow her — a multitude —
With eager haste and flying feet;
And there, by Jacob's flowing well.
They listen to the message sweet:
"I am the living Fountain free;
O thirsty soul, come unto me."

''Now we believe," they joyful cried;
"Yet not because of this thy word;
For we with our own eyes have seen,
With our own willing ears have heard!
And we will spread the news abroad
That Jesus is the Christ of God."

In The Temple

IN THE TEMPLE.

O'ER Judah's plains sweet Spring had
thrown
Her flowery robe of living green.
And Nature in her gala robes
Was mantled like a fairy queen.

High o'er the temple's burnished towers
The sunshine fell like molten gold,
And flamed and flashed from glittering spire,
From pinnacle and turret old.
While through the city's busy street
Echoed the tread of countless feet.

Far over Judah's hills they come,
From shepherd lad to stately priest,
To ancient Salem's gates they haste
To keep the sacred Paschal Feast.

Look, who is he, that youthful Lad, -
Standing within the temple fair?
Why do not Israel's sages know
That he — the Paschal Lamb — is there?

Strange blindness, that they knew him not, -
Those gray haired men, those learned
seers:
Useless the Rabbi's studied lore,
The vain philosophy of years.

From out those sacred, youthful lips
Flow wondrous words of heavenly lore, —
Such words of purity and grace
As man had never heard before.

And now, a kind, obedient Son,
No thought had he of earthly fame,
But 'mong the hills of Nazareth
A humble carpenter became.

He took our fallen nature; he
Who made the hosts which roll above
Of Abraham's frail seed partook,
In godlike sympathy and love.

Slaying of Innocents

 SLAYING OF THE INNOCENTS.

THUS one by one the days go by
Since, in the brightening orient sky,
The wise men saw the shining star
Gleam over Bethlehem's hills afar,
And since the shepherd's hearts were stirred
By sweetest song ear ever heard.

But ah ! those echoes scarce had died
O'er Judah's hills and vales so wide, —
Those hills and vales which lately flung
The echoes back from angel tongue, —
Ere, from those selfsame hills, arise
Loud wails of anguish to the skies.

O Herod ! heed'st thou not the cry
Of Rachel's anguish, rising high, —
That long, loud wail of mortal pain
From tender babes thy sword hath slain?
Why dost thou raise thy puny arm
To do the Lord's Anointed harm?
Dost thou not know th' Eternal One
Will shield his well beloved Son?

To far-off Egypt's friendly land
He journeys, led by angel hand;
There, safe from cruel rage, is borne,
While Rama's daughters weep and mourn.
O crafty Herod, vain thy might
When waged against Eternal Right.
Vain, vain shall be thy godless boasts,
Thy conflict with the Lord of Hosts.

Birth

 BIRTH

O'ER Bethlehem's hills the stars of night
Were softly shining, clear and bright;
The flocks and herds were sleeping still,
On verdant dale and dewy hill,
And o'er earth's calm and peaceful breast
A benediction seemed to rest,

As though the whole creation knew,
And smiled a welcome warm and true
To Him, her long-expected Lord,
Foretold by Inspiration's Word, —
Foretold and sung by seer and sage,
Bright Star of Hope, from age to age.

Hark, hark! what strains of music rare,
Like faintest perfume fill the air!
And louder still, and still more loud.
Bursts from that swift descending cloud:
Such glorious notes ring o'er and o'er
As weary earth ne'er heard before;
Aloud the heavenly heralds sing.
While through the spheres the echoes ring.

''Glory to God in the highest!
Peace and good will to men!"
And the heavens caught the glad refrain,
And echoed it o'er again.
Then up from the hills of glory
There echoed the thrilling cry,
Rejoice, O Earth, for the Christ is born!
Glory to God on high!"