George MacDonald

“ As my God did promise me, Death is grown only slumber. That shows that Christ is God’s own Son, And our saviour so, Whom thou, O Lord, to me hast shown, Making me know Him the Life eternal, And health in pain and dying. In the fore-front thou hast him placed, In him delighted; The whole world to his kingdom blest Hast invited Through thy precious wholesome word In every place resounding. He is the health and happy light Of the heathen, To ope their eyes, and give them sight Thee to see then. He to thy people, Isr’el, Is glory, honour, pleasure. ”

“ In this life, sorrow-laden, Thee only they desire; In thee they hope for healing; In thee expect true rest, When thou, their safety sealing, Shalt clasp them to thy breast. With disappointment burning Who made in hell their bed, At last from this world turning To thee have looked and fled: Helpful thou hast appeared To us in many a pain: Now to thy home we’re neared, Not to go out again! Now at no grave are weeping Such as do love and pray; The gift that Love is keeping From none is taken away. To soothe and quiet our longing Night comes, and stills the smart ”

“ Nought shall come on us to wound us. He watches for us, cares, defends; And everything to his might bends. And we believe in Jesus Christ, His son, our Lord. Evermore he Sits beside the Father high’st, Equal God in might and glory. He of Mary, the young maiden, Verily was born true human By the Holy Ghost. Grief-laden For our sakes, lost man and woman, He on the cross expired in faith, And rose again, through God, from death. We believe in the Holy Ghost With the Father and the Saviour, In whom the fearful learn to boast, Who the meek doth crown with favour. ”

“ Force and cunning sly His horrid policy,— On earth there’s no one like him! Our strength is vain; do what we can Our hopes are soon dejected; But He fights for us, the right man, By God himself elected. Ask’st thou who is this? Jesus Christ it is; He is the Lord of Hosts In whom his people boasts; And he must win the battle. And did the world with devils swarm All gaping to devour us, We fear not from them the least harm; Success lies sure before us. This world’s prince accurst, Let him rage his worst, Only roars about; His doom it is gone out, A word can overthrow him. ”

“ More heavenly than those glittering stars we hold the eternal eyes which the Night hath opened within us. Farther they see than the palest of those countless hosts. Needing no aid from the light, they penetrate the depths of a loving soul that fills a loftier region with bliss ineffable. Glory to the queen of the world, to the great prophetess of holier worlds, to the foster-mother of blissful love! she sends thee to me, thou tenderly beloved, the gracious sun of the Night. Now am I awake, for now am I thine and mine. Thou hast made me know the Night, and brought her to me to be my life ”

“ And this very day to thy home thou shalt lead her Who stands there—for thee such a pitiful pleader.” A passion divine his being invades; His eyes dart a lightning ray; He sees of her blushes the changeful shades, He sees her grow pallid and sink away! Determination thorough him flashes, And downward for life or for death he dashes! They hear the dull roar: ‘tis returning again, Announced by the thunderous brawl! Downward they bend with loving strain: They come! they are coming, the waters all!— They rush up!—they rush down! they rush ever and ever: The youth to the daylight rises never! ”

“ Thy God and Lord I am alway; No other God shall make thee stray; Thy heart must ever trust in me; Mine own kingdom shalt thou be: Kyrioleis. My name to honour thou shalt heed, And call on me in time of need. Thou shalt keep whole the sabbath day, That so in thee I work may: Kyrioleis. To thy father and mother thou Shalt, next me, in obedience bow; None kill, nor yield to anger wild; And keep thy marriage undefiled: Kyrioleis. From any one thou shalt not steal; Falsely with others never deal; Thy neighbour’s wife thou shalt not eye: Let his be his welcomely! ”

“ VI. LONGING AFTER DEATH. Into the bosom of the earth! Out of the Light’s dominions! Death’s pains are but the bursting forth Of glad Departure’s pinions! Swift in the narrow little boat, Swift to the heavenly shore we float! Blest be the everlasting Night, And blest the endless Slumber! We are heated with the day too bright, And withered up with cumber! We’re weary of that life abroad: Come, we will now go home to God! Why longer in this world abide? Why love and truth here cherish? That which is old is set aside—For us the new may perish! ”

“ How hast thou grown so poor and small That there thou liest on withered grass, The supper of the ox and ass! Were the world wider many fold, And decked with gems and cloth of gold, ‘T were far too mean and narrow all To be for thee a cradle small! The silk and velvet that are thine Are rough hay, linen not too fine; Thereon thou, king so rich and great, Liest as if in heavenly state. And this hath therefore pleased thee, To make this truth right plain to me, That all the world’s power, honour, wealth Are nothing to thy heart or health. ”

“ Who is there who help us can And in safety place us? Lord, thou art he, thou only. From our ill deeds we sorrowing turn That have made thy anger burn. Holy, holy Lord God, Holy, mighty Lord God, Holy Saviour with the tender heart, Everlasting God, Let us not be swallowed In the misery of death: Lord, have mercy upon us. In the midst of death, behold Hell’s jaws gaping at us! Who will from such dire distress Free and scathless set us? Lord, that dost thou, thou only: It fills thy tender heart with woe We should sin and suffer so. ”

“ Let it thy pity waken; Behold thy saints how very few! We wretches are forsaken. Thy word they grant nor true nor right, And faith is thus extinguished quite Among the sons of Adam. They teach a cunning false and fine— In their own wits they found it; Their heart in one doth not combine, Nor on God’s word they ground it; One chooses this, the other that; Endless division they are at, And yet they keep smooth faces. God will outroot the teachers all Who with false shows present us; Besides, their proud tongues loudly call— Tush! tush!—who can prevent us? We have the right and might in full ”

“ Thou mayst, consoled for every sorrow, Him in thy arms with ardour fold. New blood shall from his heart be driven Through thy dead bones like living wine; And once thy heart to him is given, Then is his heart for ever thine. What thou didst lose, he keeps it for thee; With him thy lost love thou shalt find; And what his hand doth once restore thee, That hand to thee will changeless bind. IV. Of the thousand hours me meeting, And with gladsome promise greeting, One alone hath kept its faith— One wherein—ah, sorely grieved!— In my heart I first perceived Who for us did die the death. ”

“ For I am thine, and thou art mine, And my house also shall be thine; The enemy shall not part us. Like water he will shed my blood, Of life my heart bereaving; All this I suffer for thy good— That hold with firm believing; My Life shall swallow up that Death; My innocence bears thy sins, He saith, So henceforth thou art happy. To heaven unto my Father high, From this life I am going; But there thy master still am I, My spirit on thee bestowing, Whose comfort shall thy trouble quell, And teach thy heart to know me well, Thee into all truth guiding. ”

“ Praise, honour, thanks to thee be said, Jesus, born of the holy maid! With the Father and the Holy Ghost, Now, and henceforward, evermore. Amen. IV. EASTER. I. Death held our Lord in prison For sin that did undo us; But he hath up arisen And brought our life back to us. Therefore must we gladsome be, Praise our God, and thankful be, And sing out halleluja! Halleluja! No man yet Death overcame— All sons of men were helpless; Sin for this was all to blame, For no one yet was guiltless. So Death came that early hour, Over us took up the power, Us held in’s kingdom captive. ”

“ To every man I shout; His presence over us is spread, Goes with us in and out. To each I say it; each apace His comrades telleth too— That straight will dawn in every place The heavenly kingdom new. Now, to the new mind, first appears The world a fatherland; A new life men receive, with tears Of rapture, from his hand. Down into deepest gulfs of sea Grim Death hath sunk away; And now each man with holy glee, Can face his coming day. The darksome road that he hath gone Leads out on heaven’s floor: Who heeds the counsel of the Son Enters the Father’s door. ”

“ To you a child is come this morn, A child of chosen maiden born, A little babe so sweet and mild Your joy and bliss shall be that child. ‘Tis the Lord Christ, our very God. He will you ease of all your load; He’ll be himself your Saviour sure And from all sinning make you pure. He brings you all the news so glad Which God the Father ready had— That you shall in his heavenly house Live now and evermore with us. Take heed then to the token sure— The crib, the swaddling clothes so poor: The infant you shall find laid there Who all the world doth hold and bear. ”

“ God by kind, in human grace Forth he comes to run his race. From the Father came his road, And returns again to God; Unto hell it did go down, Up then to the Father’s throne. Thou, the Father’s form express, Get thee victory in the flesh, That thy godlike power in us Make sick flesh victorious. Shines thy manger bright and fair; Sets the night a new star there: Darkness thence must keep away; Faith dwells ever in the day. Honour unto God be done; Honour to his only son; Honour to the Holy Ghost, Now, and ever, ending not. ”

“ Endless is the duration of sleep. Holy Sleep, gladden not too seldom in this earthly day-labour, the devoted servant of the Night. Fools alone mistake thee, knowing nought of sleep but the shadow which, in the gloaming of the real night, thou pitifully castest over us. They feel thee not in the golden flood of the grapes, in the magic oil of the almond tree, and the brown juice of the poppy. They know not that it is thou who hauntest the bosom of the tender maiden, and makest a heaven of her lap ”

“ And early death, in loving truth The young beheld, and dared— Anguish and torture patient bore To prove they loved him as of yore. With anxious yearning now we see That Past in darkness drenched; With this world’s water never we Shall find our hot thirst quenched: To our old home we have to go That blessed time again to know. What yet doth hinder our return? Long since repose our precious! Their grave is of our life the bourn; We shrink from times ungracious! By not a hope are we decoyed: The heart is full; the world is void! ”

“ Life grows a twilight softly stealing; The world speaks all of love and glee; For every wound grows herb of healing, And every heart beats full and free. I, his ten thousand gifts receiving, Humble like him, his knees embrace; Sure that we share his presence living When two are gathered in one place. Forth, forth to all highways and hedges! Compel the wanderers to come in; Stretch out the hand that good will pledges, And gladly call them to their kin. See heaven high over earth up-dawning! In faith we see it rise and spread: To all with us one spirit owning— To them with us ‘tis opened. ”

“ Who unworthy thither goes, Thence death instead of life he sows. God the Father praise thou duly, That he thee would feed so truly, And for ill deeds by thee done Up unto death has given his son. Have this faith, and do not waver, ‘Tis a food for every craver Who, his heart with sin opprest, Can no more for its anguish rest. Such kindness and such grace to get Seeks a heart with labour great. ”