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When robbers climbed in Jesus' fold,
And bigots sat in Jesus' school;

4 Thy strength, O Lord! in that dark night
By mouths of babes thou didst ordain;
And thy free truth went forth with might,
Not empty to return again.

5 The monarch's sword, the prelate's pride,
The church's curse, the empire's ban,
By one poor monk were all defied,
Who never feared the face of man.

6 Half-battles were the words he said,
Each born of prayer, baptized in tears;
And routed by them, backward fled
The errors of a thousand years.

7 The glittering sword of gospel light

Smote through the mass with lightning power; The sun of truth, with heavenly might, Consumed the stubble in an hour.

8 With lifted song and bended knee,
For all thy gifts we praise thee, Lord;
But chief for those who made us free,
The champions of thy holy word.

173

P. M.

Feast of the Reformation.

W. J. Fox.

1 PRAISE to the heroes who struck for the Right When Freedom and truth were defended in fight: Of blood-shedding hirelings the deeds are abhorred, But the patriot smites with the sword of the Lord.

2 Praise to the martyrs' who died for the Right,
Nor ever bowed down at the bidding of might:
Their ashes were cast all abroad on the wind,
But more widely the blessings they won for mankind.

3 Praise to the sages, the teachers of Right,

Whose voice in the darkness said, “Let there be light!"

The sophist may gain the renown of an hour,
But wisdom is glory, while knowledge is power.

4 Heroes, martyrs, and sages, true prophets of Right! They foresaw, and they made man's futurity bright. Their fame would ascend, though the world sunk in flames;

Be their spirit on all who sing praise to their names!

174

C. M.

ROBERT NICOLL.

Feast of the Reformation.

1 AN offering to the shrine of power
Our hands shall never bring;

A garland on the car of pomp
Our hands shall never fling;
Applauding in the conqueror's path
Our voices ne'er shall be;

But we have hearts to honor those
Who bade the world go free!

2 Praise to the good, the pure, the great,
Who made us what we are!

Who lit the flame which yet shall glow
With radiance brighter far.

Glory to them in coming time,

And through eternity,

Who burst the captive's galling chain,

And bade the world go free!

Charitable, Anniversary, Mlissionary and other Meetings,

175

7s. M.

J. NEWTON.

New Year.

1 WHILE with ceaseless course, the sun

Hasted through the former year,

Many souls their race have run,
Never more to meet us here:

Fixed in an eternal state,

They have done with all below;

We a little longer wait,

But how little none can know.

2 As the winged arrow flies,

Speedily the mark to find,

As the lightning from the skies

Darts, and leaves no trace behind,

176

Swiftly thus our fleeting days

Bear us down life's rapid stream:
Upwards, Lord, our spirits raise;
All below is but a dream.

3 Thanks for mercies past receive;
Pardon of our sins renew;

Teach us, henceforth, how to live
With eternity in view;

Bless thy word to young and old,
Fill us with a Saviour's love,
And when life's short tale is told,
May we dwell with thee above.

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Old or New Year.

1 GOD of the changing year, whose arm of power

In safety leads through danger's darkest hour,

Here in thy temple bow thine creatures down,
To bless thy mercy, and thy might to own.

2 Thine are the beams that cheer us on our way,
And pour around the gladdening light of day;
Thine is the night, and the fair orbs that shine
To cheer its hours of darkness-all are thine.

3 If round our path the thorns of sorrow grew,
And mortal friends were faithless, thou wert true:
Did sickness shake the frame, or anguish tear
The wounded spirit, thou wert present there.

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