But close he kept the burning coal,
Till it eat itself a hole
In his flesh. The standers by
Saw no sign and heard no cry.
All this he did in noble scorn,
And for he was a Spartan born.
In this story thou mayest see
That may useful prove to thee.
By this example thou wilt find,
That, to the ingenuous mind,
Shame can greater anguish bring
Than the body's suffering;
That pain is not the worst of ills,
Not when it the body kills;
That in fair Religion's cause,
For thy country, or the laws,
When occasion dire shall offer,
'Tis reproachful not to suffer.
ABOU-BEN-ADHEM-may his tribe increase! —
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw, within the moonlight of his room,
Making it rich and like a lily's bloom,
An angel writing in a book of gold.
Exceeding peace had made Ben-Adhem bold;
And to the Presence in the room he said,
"What writest thou?" The vision raised his head,
And, with a look made of all sweet accord,
Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord."
"And is mine one?" said Abou. 66 Nay, not so,"
Replied the angel. Abou spake more low,
But cheerily still; and said, "I pray thee, then,
Write me as one that loves his fellow-men."
The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night
He came again, with a great wakening light,
And showed the names whom love of God had blest;
And, lo! Ben-Adhem's name led all the rest!
LEIGH HUNT.
YOUR heart is beating day by day:
If it could speak, what would it say?
The hours of night its pulses tell ;-
Have you, my child, considered well
What means this restless little heart,
That doth so well perform its part?
It is a little bell, whose tone
Is heard by you and God alone.
At your soul's door it hangs; and there
His Spirit stays with loving care,
And rings the bell, and deigns to wait
To see if closed remains the gate.
He rings and waits.
At once your prayer,
O then begin
"Lord, enter in!"
So when its time on earth is past,
Your heart will beat no more at last;
And when its latest pulse is o'er,
"T will go and knock at Heaven's door;
And stand without, and patient wait,
To see if Christ will ope the gate,
And say "Here endless joys begin,
Here, faithful servant, enter in!
I was on earth thy cherished guest,
And now in Heaven I give thee rest.
Receive at length thy due reward;
Enjoy the blessings of thy Lord."
TAKE not God's name in vain;
Speak not that holy name, -
Not with a laughing lip,
Not in thy playful game ;
For the great God of all
Heareth each word we say:
He will remember it,
In the great judgment-day.
Hush for his hosts, unseen,
Are watching over thee;
His angels spread their wings,
Thy shelter kind to be.
Wilt thou, with words profane,
Rash and undutiful,
Scatter thine angel-guards,
Glorious and beautiful?
Honor God's holy name:
Speak it with thought and care; Sing it in holy hymns;
Breathe it in earnest prayer.
But not with sudden cry,
In thy light joy or pain: God will hold guilty all
Who take his name in vain!
WHEN a foolish thought within
Tries to take us in a snare,
Conscience tells us, "It is sin,"
And entreats us to beware.
If in something we transgress,
And are tempted to deny,
Conscience says, "Your fault confess;
Do not dare to tell a lie."
In the morning when we rise,
And would fain omit to pray,
66 Child, consider," Conscience cries;
"Should not God be sought to-day?"
When, within His holy walls,
Far abroad our thoughts we send,
Conscience often loudly calls,
And entreats us to attend.
When our angry passions rise,
Tempting to revenge an ill;
"Now subdue it," Conscience cries;
"Do command your temper still."
Thus, without our will or choice,
This good monitor within,
With a secret warning voice,
Tells us to beware of sin.
But if we should disregard
While this friendly voice would call,
Conscience soon will grow so hard
That it will not speak at all.
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