Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1849-03-08
THE HEBREWS PRAYER
BY T. X. HERvEY.

A Hebrew knelt In the dying light;
His eye was dim and coId
The hairs on his brow were silver white,
And his blood was thin and old;
He lifted his book To his latest sun,
Fof he knew that his pilgrimage was done;
And as ne saw God's shadows there,
His spirit poured itself out in prayer.
Il come unto Dearh'. second birth,
Beneath a stranger air,
A pilgrim on a dull cid earth,
As all my fathers were;
And men have stamped me with curss.--
feel 1t Is not THINE;
Thy mercy, like yon sun, was made
On me as them Ia SHINE;
And therefore dare lift mine eye
Through that to Thee, before de-.
In this great temple built by Thee.
Whose affairs are divine
Beneath yon lamp, that carelesslS
Lighls up Thine own trne shrins,--
Oh take my l.iest sacrifice
Look down and make this sd
Holy as that, where, long ago.
The Hebrew met his God.
have not caused The wdow's tears.
Nor dimmed the orphans eye;
have not stained the virgins years.
Nor Knocked the mourner'S cry;
The songs of Zion in mine care
Have ever been most sweet,
And always when felt Thee near.
My shoes were Of my feet"
I have known Thee in the vhirisne,
] have know Thee on the hill,
have known Thee in the .ocs o. bird.
ar the music Of the rill;
! dreamed Thee in the shad9s,
l saw Thee in the iigh;,
] heard Thee in til thunder peal,
And worshpped in the night
All beauty, while il spoke of Thee.
Sill made my soul re!oice,
And ny spirit bowed within itself,
To hear Thy still small voice.
have not fel, myself thing
Far trum Thy presence drveH,-
By flaming sword, OF waving wing.
Shut ont from Thee and Heaven;
Must the whirlwind reap, because
NV fathers sowed the storm
Or sink, because another 5insd.
Beneath Thy red right arm ?
Oh much Of this we diml, scan,
And much is al unknown,
But viii not take my curse i.U.n nan,
turn 70 Thee alone
Oh, bid my falntlng spiri; 1--we.
And what is dark reveal,
And what is evil, OILY forgive,
And what is broken heal,
And cleanse my nature from shove
In the deep Jordan Of Thy io.e.
I L. 4 y.
Shall be The same rs mlns->
| only ask 10 De forgiven.
And taken home To Thine.
WEARY on far diIa strand.
Whose mansions are - toI0bs,
And long % find the falher-la.i,
Where there are many hONes-
Oh! grant q all yon starry thrones,
Some dim and distant star.
Where Judah. lost and scattered soNs
May love Thee from afsr.
Where all earih's myriads ha,ps shali meet
In choral praise and prayer.
Shall Zon's harp. of Old So sweet,
Alone be wanting there !
Yet place me ia thy lowest ssa',
Though J, as now. be there
The Christians scorn. the Chris.isn's jess. -
But let me see and hear
From some dim mansion in sle sky.
Thy bright ones aud their melody"
The sun goes down with sudden CLEAN.
And beautiful as lovely dream,
And silently as air,
The vision Of dark eyed gin.
With long and raven hair,
Glides in as guardian spirits glide.
And lol is kneeling by his slde,.
As if her sudden presence there
Were sent in answer to his prayer.
(Uh! say they not that angels tread
Around the good mans dying bedO
His child-hls sweet, and snless child:
And as he gazed on her,
He knew his God was recolclled.
And this the messenger,
As sure as God had hung on high
The promise now before his eye.
Earlh's puresI hope thus Ger him flung.
To point his heavenward faith,
And life's mos, holy feeling strung
To sing him unto death:
And on his daughters stainless breass
The dying Hebrew sought his rest.
'Plato calls Truth the body of God, and Lii