Prayer_.[3]

God ever seeks His children's bliss,
Appeals to them; and, rightly heard,
The music of creation is
The echo of His Word.

But when the child has learnt his part,
The echo is an answer strong;
A prayer up-springing from the heart
That blossoms in a song.

Christ is the Living Word of God,
His Poem and His Prophecy;
The homeward way His Feet have trod
Mankind must travel by.

And every man, God's child and priest,
Is pledged to ministry divine,
Who sees the Ruler of life's feast
Turn water into wine;

Who hears the Father's voice above,
The Spirit's whispering within;
Who knows the Messenger of love
The Conqueror of sin.

Responsive to God's call, our Prayer
Art Thou, dear Lord, whene'er we pray;
So always now, and everywhere,
My heart keeps holiday.

ON THE DANUBE: _Feast of the Holy Name_, 1883.

FOOTNOTES:

[3] _See_ Note C, page 72.

_THE PHYSICIAN._

Is life sad for lost love's sake,
Falls a blight upon thy bliss,
Smiles no more their sunshine make,
Lips estranged withhold their kiss?
For thy consolation take
Some such song as this:--

Shine on us, O Morning Star!
Help our weeping eyes to see;
Never may we deem things are
What to us they seem to be;
Rise, Thou Dayspring, and afar
Bid the shadows flee!

Jesu, Thou art swift to bless,
Strong to comfort, skilled to heal;
Failure is with Thee success,
Woe the forerunner of weal;
Every stroke is a caress,
Every crust a meal.

Master, Thou canst raise the dead
From the grave, the bed, the bier,[4]
Souls astray, forlorn, misled,
Buffeted by doubt and fear,
Cannot but be comforted
When Thou drawest near.

Sweeter than the Sunday-bells
Banishing all week-day cares,
Thine the gracious voice that tells
What a Father's love prepares,
Leading to salvation's wells
Up God's altar-stairs.

Lord, Thou art the Master-singer,
And Thy song is a recall;
Many on life's pathway linger,
Many by life's wayside fall,
But Thy Heart, the comfort-bringer,
Is a Home for all!

TYROL: 1882.

FOOTNOTES:

[4] S. John xi. 43; S. Matt. ix. 25; S. Luke vii. 14.

_THE POET._

The poet is the child of God,
Who with anointed eye
Discerns a sacrament of love
In earth and sea and sky,
And finds himself at love's behest
Const