Sir John Davies. 1570-1626. THE SOUL'S HIGH DESTINY. O IGNORANT poor man! what dost thou bear Locked up within the casket of thy breast? What jewels, and what riches hast thou there? What heavenly treasure in so weak a chest? Look in thy soul, and thou shalt beauties find, Honor and pleasure both are in thy mind, Think of her worth, and think that God did mean (173) Kill not her quickening power with surfeitings; And when thou think'st of her eternity, REASONS FOR THE SOUL'S IMMORTALITY. AGAIN, how can she but immortal be, When, with the motions of both will and wit, She still aspireth to eternity, And never rests till she attain to it? All moving things to other things do move Of the same kind, which shows their nature such; So earth falls down, and fire doth mount above, Till both their proper elements do touch. And as the moisture which the thirsty earth Sucks from the sea to fill her empty veins, From out her womb at last doth take a birth, And runs, a lymph, along the grassy plains, Long doth she stay, as loth to leave the land Yet nature so her streams doth lead and carry E'en so the soul, which, in this earthly mould, At first, her mother earth she holdeth dear, Yet, under heaven, she cannot light on aught For who did ever yet, in honor, wealth, Then, as a bee, which among weeds doth fall, gay, But, pleased with none, doth rise and soar away So, when the soul finds here no true content, And, like Noah's dove, can no sure footing take, She doth return from whence she first was sent, And flies to Him that first her wings did make. AFFLICTION'S TEACHINGS. Ir aught can teach us aught, affliction's looks She within lists my ranging mind hath brought, I know my life's a pain, and but a span ; Which is a proud and yet a wretched thing. Reginald Heber. 1783-1826. GOD PROVIDETH FOR THE MORROW. Lo! the lilies of the field, How their leaves instruction yield! Hark to Nature's lesson given By the blessed birds of Heaven. 66 Say, with richer crimson glows |