The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-05-12
RELIGIOUS DEPARTMENT.
HIS FACE.

HIS FACE.
In olden times, when miracles were
wrought,
A pious monk. whose only care or thought
Was of Gods glory, lived and strove to win
The suffering world IRON sorrow, pain and
sin.
A pure and blameess life the good man led:
He clothed the naked, and the hungry fed;
He nursed the sick, and loosed the bonds.
mans cham,
And suffering never sought his aid in vain.
His faith was great; and yet he oft was
moved
By strong desire to know his life approved;
To get from Heaven some miracle or sign,
Some sanction of his life by Lord Divine
And thus he prayed Lord. If go astray,
Do Thou direct me in the heavenly way!
And, if my life's acceptable to Thee,
Do show, dear Lord, Thy loving face to
me-"
But DAYS went bs. and summers went and
came,
His life unchanged, his daily prayer the
same.
But all in vain; for to his yearning cry
All Heaven seemed deaf. The Lord made
no reply.
At last, with age grown gray, with suffer
His earthly substance gone, his strength all
spent,
Upon a NOISY bank, with weary sigh,
He breathed prayer, and laid him down
to die.
Then what q change came DER his wonder
ing soul!
His pain departed, and around him stole
A heavenly radiance. and before him stood,
Not the dear Lord, only an angel good.
And in voice so sweet that it awoke
Strange thrills Of rapture in the monk, he
ITO do Gods will, my son. thou'st nobly
And to thy prayer an answer now is given.
"Afhx thy thoughts on Christ, gaze on my
And soon thou'lt see the dear Lord take my
place."
The monk complied; but at that instant
Awounded traveller, bleeding, bruised and
lame,
With tattered garments and with feet un
Who cried: ~ need thy help" and sank
upon the sod.
At the faint cry, the monk half turned his
head,
But paused an instant as the angel said:
"what! for this beggar would'st thou turf
from me,
And from the dear Lord who would honol
thee?"
A passing struggle; then the monk replied
ZEN for this beggar the dear Lord hath
died.
Since He hath done so much. can do less
Than comfort this poor man In his distress
~ surely can not leave this man to de-"
So saying, he arose. and, with sigh.
Unto the strangers side he, tottering. sped
Bound up his wounds pillowed the achinl
head
Upon his cassock, bathed the bleeding fee,
And sOOthed the suffering soul with sOlac
sweet
While thus he labored, to the monk Their
came
A sense of Joy and peace as If flame
Of love breathed on him from Heaven
open door,
Thrilling his soul with bliss unknown BIZ
fore.
Wondering. the monk beheld the strange
rise.
What glorious transformation met his eyes
The tattered garments shone robe Q
light!
Around the face an aureole CLEANED bright
Each shrunken limb rounded by perfec
line,
The haggard features changed to line.
ments divine!
The monk his Saviour knew, and bowed i
prayer;
Aud then sweet voice sounded throug
the air:
"who can. to do my work, his dearest wis
resign.
He, and he only, sees this face of mine"
A dreamer legend, say you? 1t may be,
And yet the lessons taught in Galilee
| OF love to God and man can ne'er grow old
And he who learns them well need not
told
That sacrifice of self to do Gods will
Will win sweet glnmpses OF the Lords fac
| still.
Lloyd G. Thompson, IN N. 7. Independent.