The record-union., 1893-01-09

see the wrong that round me lies,
IeeI tue guilt within;
near, with groan ana travail-cries,
Inc world confess its sin.
Yet, in the maddening maze of things.
ana tossed by storm and flood
70 one hNSd trust my spirit clings-
know that God is good.
MOI mine to look where cherubim
and seraphs may not see.
buI nothing can be good in Him
Whlch evil is in me.
The wrong that pains my soul below
dare not throne above:
know not OF His hate-I know
Ills goodness and His love.
di1nly guess from blessings known
VI greater out OF sight
ana, with the Chastcned Psalmist own
his judgments, too, are right
Hong for household voices gone.
For vanished smiles long:
But God hath led nay dear ones on.
And lie can do no wrong,
l know not what the future hath
or marvel or surprise,
Assured alone that life and death
lis mercy underlles.
And if my heart and flesh are weak
10 bear an untrIed pain
me ~ prIlsed reed lie Will not break,
but strengthen and sustain.
No Offering of my own | have.
Nor works my faith to prove;
can but give the gifts He gave,
Aud plead His love for love
And so beside the Silent Sea
l wait the muttied oar;
NO harm from Him can come to me
On ocean or on shore.
1 know not where His islands lift
Their frouded palms in air;
only know l cannot drift
Beyond lis love and care
o, brothers, if my faith is vain.
II hopes like these betray
Pray for me, that my feet NAV gain
The sure and safer way,
And Thou, o Lord, by whom are seen
my creatures as they be-
torglye me II too close l lean
My human heart on theei
Show me grander, and at the same
Illne a more loving, trusting faith than is
here expressed and [ will renounce nv
present belief to sit at the feet of him who
teaches 1t. How pathetic the prayer:
Forgive me if too close lean
My human heart on Thee!
Forgive me if l cannot believe that
1hou art that awful being that human
terror has painted Thee in the Dasti For-
give me if cannot believe Thee canabIe
OF creating single atom in vain, let
alone gingle human soul; and surely
creation is vain If He'll is to burn forever.
HIs soul revolving at the idea caused
Whittier to write the 1.-Two Angels.p as
follows, for which he was reproved:
God called the nearest angels who dweIt
with Him above;
The tenderest one was PITY. the dearest ono
was Love-
" Arise" He said, "my angels! A wall of woe
and sin " VIZ
Steals, through the gates of Heaven and sad
dens all within.
MY harpsstake Off the mournfuI strain that
nom a lost world sWelIs:
The smoke of torment clouds the Hoht an 4
bIights the asphodels.
Fly doWnward dow W to the underworld, and on its
Let Loye 45. drop smiles like sunshine, and
Pity tears like rain.''
Two faces bowed before the throne caiied
their golden hair;
-Four white wings lessened swiftly down the
dark abyss OF air.
The way was strange, the flight was long Al
last the angels came
Where swung the lost and neither world rod
wrapped IN ragless flame
Then Pity, shuddering, wept: but Love with
faith too strong for fear,
Took heart from Gods almtqhtiness and
smiled q smile of cheer.
And 10 that tear of pity quenched the fame
whereon it fell;
And with the sunshine of that smile
hope entered into hell.
Two unveiled faces, full of JOY, looked upward
Four white wings folded at the feet of Him
who sat thereon.
,7aoDar 41,,,,
swift than falling flake -''-
Amidst Is the hush OF wing and song the Voice
Eternal spoke:
Welcome, my angels you have bro1gb+ q
hOlier joy to heaven
Hencetorth the sweetest song shall he the
song OF sins forgiven"
Tennyson expresses the recoiI of his
soul at the doctrine of eternal nunish-
ment' IN language much more severe.
In ms Despair, man, reacting from
the church, lost all faith and hone. and
tried TO commit suicide. His wife agree
ing with him they attempted to drown
themselves together. She was lost. but
he was washed ashore to ind his minis-
ter standing ever him:
What? ! should call on that Infinite love
which has served Us so well?
Infinite cruelty, rather, that made everlasting
hell!
Made US, foreknew US, foredoomed usand does
what He will with His own?
Better our dead brute mother (the earth). who
never mas heard us groau.
And yet have had some glimmer, at times
in my 81 contest woe,
Ofa GOD behind all, above all, the great God
Tor aught that | know.
But the GOD OF love ana of hell together thai
cannot be thought;
If there be such God, may the great Goo
curse him, and bring him to noughtl
with my scandaIous talk;
But the blasphemy to my mind, lies all in the
way that you walk.
If Tennyson was expressing his owl
mind here l do not see how any one
could claim him as an evangelical Chris
tian. He detested creeds no less than
| Whittier. That little snatch
There lives more faith in honest doubt.
Believe me, than in half the ereeds.
! Has become a common saying,
In "Akbar's Dream" lust published
Tennyson makes Akbar say:
There is light in all.
/ And light, with more or less of shade. In all
4 MRu-modes of worship; but our Ulama,
Who. 'sitting on green sofas, contemplate
/ The torment of the damned" already, these
Are like wild brutes new-caged-the narrower
! The cage the more their fury. Me thev IRON
| With sullen brows. What wonder! I decreef
4 That even the dog was clean, that men may
| taste
swine-hesh, drink wine: they know, too, tha-
I whene'er
In our tree Hail, where each philosophy