Questions & Answers
As when, triumphant o'er the grim array Of leaden clouds drawn up in seeming might, The sun, a living splendor, greets the day And floods a waiting world with warmth and light, So, through the doubts and fear of humankind, From Zion, in her beauty, "God hath shined. " Earth's lessons were so hard to understand; Its devious ways so dim and meaningless, Till, cleaving clouds of error, Love's command Pointed the way, a lamp to guide and bless; And on the eager, thirsty, waiting mind, From Zion, in her beauty, "God hath shined.
I gazed upon the lilac buds one cold and bleak spring day, All pinched with midnight frosts, but bravely waiting for the sun; I grieved a little, for they seemed so thwarted on their way, So checked in life's endeavor, that had only just begun. And then I thought, beyond it all, tho' hidden from our sight, God's sun shines on eternally, with warmth of truth and love; And the patience of the lilac buds, just waiting for the light, Revived my slack'ning energies Love's radiant power to prove.
For the last time he gained the mountain's height: The plains beneath him lay: we know he paused, Now at the summit of his earthly path, And gazed once more adown the dimming years: Saw the sweet face that launched him on the flood Of Nile: proud yet compassionate, the level brows Of royal Egypt: Miriam, well beloved By God and man, sister and prophetess: Aaron, the mouthpiece of the Word of God, Brother, yea more than brother, faithful friend: And Zipporah, with eyes whence pain had passed. Dear dreams! fair shadows of reality.
In the dawn of this new day, When the air is clear, Untainted by the mists of man's material living, In true humility I come to Thee, To lay upon Love's altar My simple off'ring: Ev'ry impure, unkind, or idle thought, All envy, jealousy, or senseless fear,— All that denies Thine omnipresence. Consume with fire this mortal dross, And from the ashes may there then arise That spiritual sense of Thee, O Mind divine, Whose thoughts it is my eager joy to image forth!
As when a pilgrim sees on far hill crest Tall spires and burnished domes against the sun, And yearns to reach, before the day is done, This city fair with promises,—and rest; And, goading self, sets eager feet to test His strength; and has no wish to shun The journey that seems ever just begun; And finds, in glad surprise, his shining quest Is but a brighter aspect of the glow That shone around his early path, and fired His first fine endeavor: so, years but show Time's measurements. The flaming life desired Is light, and near, and found in constant flow Of thought to God, serene and love-inspired.
When to the wilderness our Master went, Three angel friends did bear him company: Courage, the first, strong warder of the thought! Amid the loneliness, distrust, and doubt, Fearless and undisturbed he ably stood, With heart unwavering, and with head unbowed. Next, Patience, gentle handmaid of the heart, Strong toiler, firm, and faithful as the day! Ready to serve; no lesser joy she seeks; Living to love.
O'er all, the sunshine of Thy presence beameth. Although my earthborn eyes be dim with tears, To that clear inner sight that knows no darkness, The glow and glory of the Christ appears.
When the way seems steep and rugged, And the day is dark and cold; When the little sheep has wandered From the shepherd's shelt'ring fold; Oh, 'tis blessed to remember That wherever we may roam, There's a tender voice still calling, "He is mindful of His own. " Though we make our bed in heaven, Or in depths of bitt'rest hell, In the mountains, on the desert, 'Neath church dome, in prison cell, In the midst of friends and loved ones, Or when far away from home, What a comfort to remember, "He is mindful of His own!" In the strife of daily living, While we're conquering griefs and fears, Still we see Truth's banner waving As the smoke of battle clears.
There's but one time, there's but one place The time is Now, the place is Here; For all of good and all of grace Are here and now, forever near, To master fear, to vanquish ill, The fount of fortitude unseal, Dissolve the discords of self-will, And Love's omnipotence reveal. For Love divine and infinite Is conscious of no lapse from grace: Its purposes, in concord knit, Ne'er fail creation to embrace.
To think of Him as by our side, Is almost as untrue As to remove His throne beyond Those skies of starry blue. So all the while I thought myself Homeless, forlorn and weary, Missing my joy, I walked the earth Myself God's sanctuary.