Is a world that forever in harmony rolls,

And brings to all anguish the sweetest relief. There the old men ramble with children's hearts, As though never a manhood of sin were known; And the children handle for sport the darts

From the bow of the enemy hurtless thrown.

So the dimmer your vision, and darker the night,
The sooner it opens in endless light;

And the nearer by sickness to death you come,
The nearer you are to that beautiful home,
In the clime where never a child shall say,
"My head! my heart! I am ill to-day."
But holy and happy with Christ in heaven,
The people for his dear sake forgiven,
Wander at will by the banks of Life's river,
Breathing its blossoms forever and ever.

ONE DAY AS A THOUSAND YEARS.

HOW long the sweetness of this life shall be,

The God that gave it only can foretell;

His loving-kindness thus to you and me

Shall never end while in its truth we dwell. Give but the grace, our God! even through tears, To learn a little of thy truth by love;

Then death shall teach us more than thousand

years,

The moment we behold thy face above.

For thou, our Father, art our all in all,

And we, thy children, on thy bosom fall,
And death is life to those who trust in thee,
And where thou art, there shall thy servants be.

Beholding thus our Saviour, face to face,
Seeing as seen, and knowing even as known,
And by the discipline of such sweet grace
Made fit to bear the glory of his throne:
Praise to the God of so divine a power!

Father of mercies, give us hearts to praise;
Long as our life shall last preserve this dower,
And be the keeper of our endless days.

AND A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM.

– Isa. xi. 6.

SHALL lead them to Jesus! Oh wonderful word,
By the prophet of Judah in majesty heard!
Shall lead them to Jesus; for "Come unto me
Is the voice to all nations, in God's jubilee.

And the mothers shall follow, that strayed from the fold,

Their lambs gathered back from the darkness and cold;

And the children the praises of Jesus shall speak,

And the hearts of the fathers their children shall

seek.

'Tis the voice of redemption to Adam's lost race,-
The youthful, the aged, by land and by sea;
The voice of their Father's all-merciful grace,
The voice of the Saviour, "Come quickly to me."

Shall the knowledge of Christ to the wide world be given,

And the light of his teaching, as far as the sun,

But the story of love in the gospel be driven From the schools, where the life of the heart is begun?

Oh, far be the word from the State and the household,

That dares intercept the Redeemer's decree, Or shuts from the scholar the sweet invitation, "In the dew of your youth, come, ye children, to me!"

In the church, in the school, in the house of our childhood,

God's truth shall forever be settled and free;
And sacred the seal of the God-given freedom,
Forbid not the children to come unto me!

Unto me, your Redeemer from sin and perdition,
In whose loving mercy forever ye dwell;
The lost dying sinner's Almighty Physician,

Your own loving Saviour from death and from hell.

And the State that forbids, in its bold, daring

madness,

The gospel that Jesus commands to be spread,

Shall be as the Sodom, condemned by its vices,

Whose children spring forth from the crimes of the dead.

But in the glad music of Zion's hosannas

The voice of all nations united shall be,

With the words floating wide on love's conquering banners,

"Forever, ye little ones, come unto me!"

CREATION'S CHRISTMAS ANTHEM.

DAY of glory in the air

And gladness through the sky;

Of light and sunshine everywhere,
That sin and death defy!

Oh, dearest of all melodies,

The

Is this;

song of songs to me,

that since Christ came to earth,

Good will to men shall be!

For Christ to you this day was born,.
A Saviour from your sins;
To-day your Resurrection Morn

From death to life begins.

He's born a babe, to die for you,
That you may never die,
But live forever in his love

Beyond the starry sky.