The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-07-05

Not for thousand years such accents
knew!
On windy hilltop; by the roaring sea;
Mid tombs, in market places, prisons,
fields;
Mid clamor vile attack-or deep-awed
hush,
Wherein celestial visitants drew near
And secret ministered to troubled
souls!
Hear We, hear! that ceaseless-
pleading voice,
Which storm, nor suffering, nor age
could still
Chief prophet-voice through nigh a
century's span;
Now silvery as Zion's dove that mourns,
Now quelling as the Archangel's judg-
ment-trump,
And ever with sound like that OF old
Which in the desert, shook the wander
ing tribes,
Or, round about stored Jerusalem,
Or by Gennesaret, or Jordan, spake
The word of life.
Let not that image fade
Ever, o God! from out the minds Of
OF him Thy messenger and stainless
priest,
In n brute, sodden and unfaithful time.
Early and late, Ger land and sea, on
driven;
In youth, in eager manhood, age ex-
treme-
Driven on forever, back and forth the
world,
By that divine omnipotent desire
The hunger and the passion for mems
souls!
All. how he loved Christ's poor! No
narrow thought
Dishumaned any soul from his en-
prise;
But his the prayer sincere that heaven
might send
Him chiefly to the humble; he would
be,
Even as the Galileean, dedicate
Unto the ministry of lowliness;
grant:
And gladly still the harvest ripens
round the earth;
And many own the name once given in
scorn;
And all revere the holy life he led.
Praise what he did for England, and
the world,
And call that greatness which was once
reproach,
Would we were worthy for his praise,
Dear God!
Thy servant never knew one selfish
hour!
How are we shamed. who look upon a
world
Ages afar from that true kingdom
preached
Millenniums ago in Palestine!
Send us. again, o Spirit of all Truth!
High messengers of dauntless faith and
power
Him Uyhnca Y7oapa0ry f6iS daU xxya
praise,
We cherish and we praise with burn
ing hearts.
Let kindle, as before, from his bright
torch.
Myriads of messengers afiame with
Thee
To darkest places bearing light d.
vine!
AS did one soul. whom here I fain
For here in youth his gentle spirit
took
New fire from Wesley's glow.
How oft have 1
A little child, hearkened my fathers
voice
Preaching the Word in country homes
remote.
Or wayside schools, where only two or
three
Were gathered. 10, again that voice
hear,
Like Wesley's, raised in those sweet.
fervent hymns
Made sacred by how many saints of
God
Who breathed their souls out on the
well-loved tones.
Again I see those circling, eager faces.
1 hear once more the solemn-urging
That tell the things of God in sinnple
phrase;
Again the deep voiced, reverent pray-
er ascends.
Bringing to the still summer afternoon
A sense of the eternal AS he preached
He lived; unSelfish, famelessly heroic
For even IN mid-career, with life still
His was the glorious privilege and
choice
Deliberately to give that life away
In succor of the suffering; for he
knew
No rule but duty, no reward but
Christ.
Increase Thy prophets, Lord! give
strength to smite
Shame to the heart of luxury and
sloth!
Give them the yearning after human
souls
That burned in Wesley's breast
Through them, Great Cod!
Teach poverty it may be rich in Thee;
Teach riches the true wealth of Thine
own spirit.
To our loved land Celestial Purity,
Bring back the meaning of those an
cient words
Not lost but soiled, and darkly discs
teemed-
The ever sacred names of husband,
wife,
And the great name of Love-whereon
is built
The temple of human happiness and
hope!
Baptize with holy wrath Thy prophets,
Lord
BY them purge from us this corruption
foul
That seizes on our civic governments.
Crowns the corrupter in the sight of
men,
And makes him maker OF laws, and
honor's source!
Help us, in memory OF the sainted
dead.