POETRY.
A THANKSGIVING FOR F. D. MAURICE. 'THE veil Lath lifted, and hath fallen ; and him Who next it stood, before us, first so long, We see not ; but, between the cherubim,' The light burns clearer ; come,—a thankful song !
Lord, for thy prophet's calm, commanding voice ; For his majestic innocence and truth ; For his unswerving purity of choice ; For all his tender wrath and plenteous ruth ; For his obedient, wise, clear-listening care To hear for us what word The Word would say ; .For all the trembling fervency of prayer, With which he led our souls the prayerful way ; For all the heavenly glory of his face That caught thy white Transfiguration's shine, And cast on us the glimmer of thy grace,— Of all thy men late left, the most divine ; For all his learning, and the thought of power That seized thy one Idea everywhere, Brought the eternal down into the hour,
And taught the dead thy life to claim and share ;
For his humility, dove-clear of guile, That, sin-denouncing, he, like thy great Paul, Still claimed of sin the greatest share, the while Our eyes, love-sharpened, saw him beat of all ; For his high victories over sin and fear ; The captive hope his words of truth set free ; For his abiding memory, holy, dear ; Last for his death, and hiding now in thee ;- We praise, we magnify thee, Lord of him!
Thou haat him still,—he ever was thine own ; Nor shall our tears prevail the path to dim That leads where, lowly still, he haunts thy throne.
When thou, 0 Lord ! ascendedst up on high,
Good gifts thou seutest down to cheer thy men ; Lo! he ascends,—we follow with the cry : Send thou his spirit back with thine again.
GEORGE MACDONALD.
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