O thoughts ineffable!

O visions blest!

Though worthless our conceptions all of Thee,
Yet shall thy shadow'd image fill our breast,
And waft its homage to Thy Deity.

God! thus alone my lowly thoughts can soar;
Thus seek Thy presence-Being wise and good!
'Midst thy vast works admire, obey, adore;
And when the tongue is eloquent no more,
The soul shall speak in tears of gratitude.

SIR J. BOWRING.

-Russian of Dershavin.

SHINE ON OUR SOULS!

SHINE on our souls, eternal God,
With rays of beauty shine!
Oh let Thy favour crown our days,
And all their round be Thine!

Did we not raise our hands to Thee,
Our hands might toil in vain ;
Small joy success itself could give,
If thou Thy love restrain.

With Thee let every week begin,
With Thee each day be spent ;
For Thee each fleeting hour improved,
Since each by Thee is lent.

Thus cheer us through this desert road,

Till all our labours cease,

And Heaven refresh our weary souls

With everlasting peace!

DR P. DODDRIDGE, 1702-1751.

"NIGHT UNTO NIGHT SHEWETH

KNOWLEDGE.”

WHEN I survey the bright
Celestial sphere,

So rich with jewels hung, that Night
Doth like an Ethiop bride appear,

My soul her wings doth spread,
And heavenward flies,

The Almighty's mysteries to read
In the large volume of the skies;

For the bright firmament
Shoots forth no flame

So silent, but is eloquent

In speaking the Creator's name.

No unregarded star

Contracts its light

Into so small a character,

Removed far from our human sight,

But if we steadfast look,

We shall discern

In it, as in some holy book,

How man may heavenly knowledge learn.

It tells the conqueror

That far-stretch'd power,

Which his proud dangers traffic for,
Is but the triumph of an hour;

That from the farthest North,
Some nation may,

Yet undiscover'd, issue forth,

And o'er his new-got conquest sway,—

Some nation, yet shut in

With hills of ice,

May be let out to scourge his sin
Till they shall equal him in vice;

And then they likewise shall
Their ruin brave;

For as yourselves, your empires fall,
And every kingdom hath a grave.

Thus those celestial fires,

Though seeming mute,

The fallacy of our desires,

And all the pride of life, confute;

For they have watch'd since first
The world had birth,

And found sin in itself accurst,
And nothing permanent on earth.

WILLIAM HABINGTON, 1605-1654.

THE GLADNESS OF NATURE.

Is this a time to be cloudy and sad,

When our mother Nature laughs around; When even the deep-blue heavens look glad,

And gladness breathes from the blossoming ground?

There are notes of joy from the hang-bird and wren,
And the gossip of swallows through all the sky;
The ground-squirrel gaily chirps by his den,
And the wilding bee hums merrily by.

The clouds are at play in the azure space,

And their shadows at play on the bright green vale, And here they stretch to the frolic chase, And there they roll on the easy gale.

There's a dance of leaves in that aspen bower, There's a titter of winds in that beechen tree, There's a smile on the fruit, and a smile on the flower, And a laugh from the brook that runs to the sea.

And look at the broad-faced sun how he smiles
On the dewy earth that smiles in his ray;
On the leaping waters and gay young isles,
Ay, look, and he'll smile thy gloom away!
W. C. BRYANT, 1797—

-American.

TRUE RELIGION.

THE true religion sprung from God above
Is like her fountain-full of charity;
Embracing all things with a tender love,
Full of good-will, and meek expectancy;
Full of true justice, and sure verity,

In heart and voice; free, large, even infinite:
Not wedged in straight particularity,

But grasping all in her vast active sprite—

Bright lamp of God, that men would joy in Thy pure

light!

HENRY MORE, 1614-1687.