A Goodly Heritage

Blaidhna mhath uir dhuibh uile. Happy New Year To You All

While you do not look to the law in the least for justification , you nevertheless magnify and honour the law by your obedience to its requirements. You do not obey the law in order to obtain the forgiveness of your sins . They are already forgiven for Christ's sake . That part of your salvation is secure. But you obey the law because you are forgiven ; because you love to obey . You obey it because your faith in Christ's blood is living , and not dead ; is working faith, and not inoperative faith- the genuine principle which Paul praises and defends, and not the counterfeit which James condemns and attacks.

"I will send a famine in the land ...........of hearing the words of the Lord."Amos 8: 11. Israel will not listen to God' s prophets , and their voices will be silenced . This was a just retribution . As they were not willing to have the word of God , so there should be a famine of that word . The word of God was precious in the days of Samuel , because there was no open vision ; so should it be again . And perhaps this privation will be one day meted to our own beloved country . There is a much larger proportion of our population outside than inside our churches ; and men proudly eschew God's Word . It may be that the message of the Gospel will almost cease from among them , and be replaced - as in many instances is now the case  - by the dry husks of morality and ceremonialism . Then they shall run to and fro to seek the word of of the Lord , and shall not find it .................. It is worth notice , that if men have not God , they will find some substitute . Th

The sacrament of the Supper exhibits Christ not merely as a Lamb to be slain for a sin - offering , but as a Paschal Lamb to be eaten for spiritual nourishment . "Take eat this is My Body ."By this injunction Jesus taught the twelve , and through them all Christians , to regard His crucified humanity as the bread of God for the life of their souls . We must eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of man spiritually by faith , as we eat the bread and drink the wine literally with the mouth .  In regarding Christ as the Bread of Life , we are not to restrict ourselves to the one benefit mentioned by Him in instituting the feast , the remission of sins , but to have in view all His benefits tending to our spiritual nourishment and growth in grace . Christ is the Bread of Life in all His offices  . As a Prophet , He supplies the bread  of divine truth to feed our minds ; as a Priest , He furnishes the bread of righteousness to satisfy our troubled consciences ; as a King , H

The office of the Spirit promised to us , is not to form new and un-heard of revelations , or to coin a new form of doctrine , by which we may be led away from the received doctrine of the Gospel , but to seal on our minds the very doctrine which the Gospel recommends . ........Any spirit which passes by the doctrine of God's word , and suggests any other doctrine , is deservedly suspected of vanity and falsehood ........The Author of the Scriptures cannot vary , and change His likeness . Such as He there appeared at first , such he will perpetually remain .............. The word is the instrument by which the illumination of the Spirit is dispensed .   Calvins Institutes .

Not even the most fervid Scot could claim today that his countrymen were all theologians , as they were alleged to have been in a former age . For in Scotland , as elsewhere , theology has fallen on evil days . De throned from her queenly position among the sciences , she has become , to a painful extent , the plaything of the witty and the scornful . Theology is no longer the imposing authority behind the preacher which it used to be . The popular sermon scarcely even hints at doctrine , except sometimes to deride it . And there are many who see in this want of theology the tragedy of the Church today . Vigorous religious life never fails to give expression to a correspondingly vigorous theology , and the absence of the one accounts for the lack of the other . But still no preacher can express his thoughts or carry conviction to his hearers without speaking theology , either nebulous or clear . But with belief in an infallible Bible widely denied, the ancient seat of authority is gone

" I found him whom my soul loveth ; and I held him and would not let him go "Song of Solomon. 3:4. There are two very diverse senses in which men will no let the Saviour go , carrying with them very different meanings , and very different issues . And how marvellous , how startling the extremes which they reveal -- extremes of deadliest sin and deepest piety . Caiaphas ! Thou Priest of the Most High God , thou hypocrite ! Thou wilt not let Christ go . Thou wilt not let him go until thou crucify him . Nor wilt thou , O worldling until thou crucify him afresh . (Hebrew .6:6)    Jacob ! thou prevailing prince with God ! Thou wilt not let him go . Thou wilt not let him go until he bless thee . . Nor thou , O Israelite indeed , until he bless thee too.    In which of these two senses would you have the Christ declare that you will not let him go .? Hugh Martin

Preparation for heaven does not consist in rising to any imaginary standard of piety, in being as holy as we may consider some illustrious saints , in rising to certain frames of which we have heard  and which we have desired ; but in being filled as full of the Holy Spirit as our capacities can bear . Do you ask , how can I attain eminent holiness ? Seek wit undeviating and self - sacrificing purpose , eminent measures of the Holy Ghost .

The pieces of which this book consists are in their leading character devotional summaries , expressing the pious thoughts and feelings which the consideration of God's ways and the knowledge of His revelations were fitted to raise in reflecting and spiritual bosoms . But the singular thing is , that they are this for the New as well as the Old Testament worshipper . They are still incomparably the most perfect expression of the religious sentiment , and the best directory to the soul in its meditations and communings about divine things , which is anywhere to be found . There is not a feature in the divine character , nor an aspect of any moment in the life of faith , to which expression , more or less distinct , is not there given . How could such a book have come into existence , centuries before the Christian era , but for the fact that the Old and the New dispensations - however they may have differed in outward form , or in the ostensible nature of the transactions belonging

"Lord , all my desire is before Thee ; and my groaning is not hid from Thee ." Out of these fearful depths there is a ready access to the throne of grace . The afflicted soul looks upward and appeals to God . No direct application is expressed , but attention is humbly craved to the desires which have a language in the ears of God . "The Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered; and He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit."

Greatness confers no exemption from the cares and sorrows of life . Its share of them frequently bears a melancholy proportion to its exultation . This the Israelitish Monarch experienced . He sought in piety that peace which he could not find in empire and alleviated the disquietutes of state with the exercises of devotion . His invaluable Psalms convey those comforts to others , which they afforded to himself . Composed upon particular occasions , yet designed for general use . Delivered out as services for Israelites under the law , yet no less adapted to the circumstances of Christians under the Gospel , they present religion to us in the most engaging dress ; communicating truths which philosophy  could never investigate , in a style which poetry can never equal ; while history is made the vehicle of prophesy , and creation lends all its charms to paint the glories of redemption . Calculated alike to profit and to please , they inform the understanding , elevate the affections ,

The Psalms traverses every condition of man . It roams with the shepherd in the meadows . It sits with the mighty monarch on the throne . It flees with the fugitive on the hills , and hides with him in the caves . It leads the conquering host to victory . It walks with the busy in the crowded haunts, and leaves not the lonely in their solitide . It is a prop for the staggering steps  -  a guide for the wanderer  -  a counsellor when perplexities bewilder  -  a pillow for the weary head , a sympathising hand to wipe the weeping eye , a voice to whisper comfort to the disconsolate . No words more cheer the dying saint . The soul in extremest agony for sin finds here a ready outlet for the bitterest streams of sorrow . Words are here supplied to crave deliverance from wrath . When interest in Christ is realised , and joy is in the height of rapture , here are the wings to bear aloft to heaven

The main glory of the book of Psalms is its identity with Christ . He brightly shines throughout its varied hymns . He is constantly the speaker , and in these breathings of his Spirit we receive convincing evidence that , without ceasing to be God , He was a perfect man , and pre-eminently a Man of Sorrows . We here are supplied with a vivid portrait of His character , His work , His love , His sufferings , His glory. It would be no difficult task to construct a Gospel from its prophetic language . It may be regarded as His manual during His career on earth . When , as the expiating God - man , He was uplifted on the accursed tree, and the iron entered into His soul , His misery goes forth in the moanings of a Psalm , " My God , My God , why hast thou forsaken me ?"  He gives up the ghost uttering its confiding terms , "Into Thy hands I commend my spirit ."  He ascends amid the shouts , "Lift up your heads , O ye gates !"  He receives the welcome , "

"The Psalms are an epitome of the Bible , adapted to the purposes of devotion . They treat occasionally of the creation and formation of the world ; the dispensations of Providence , and the economy of grace ; the transactions of the patriarchs  ; the exodus of the children of Israel  ; their journey through the wilderness, and settlement in Canaan  ; their law, priesthood and ritual ; the exploits  of their great men , wrought through faith ; their sins and captivities ; their repentance and restoration ; the sufferings and victories of David  ; the peaceful and happy reign of Solomon ; the advent of Messiah , with its effects and consequences; his incarnation , birth , life  , passion , death , resurrection , ascension , kingdom and priesthood ; the effusion of the Spirit ; the conversion of the nations ; the rejection of the Jews ; the establishment , increase ,and perpetuity of the Christian church ; the end of the world ; the general judgement ; the condemnation of the wicked

The Scottish Reformation: A Work of God

Do we know the power of prayer?  Feeling that we are perishing , have we sent up a cry for help to that God who is a refuge for his people in every time of trouble . If so , He will send help out of his Holy hill of Zion  . Why is it that our prayers seem so frequently to go unanswered  - that despite of them all , we feel that we are sinking still ? Is it not because that they are not the cries of those who feel  their awful and affecting need of Christ , and are really desirous that his hand be stretched for their rescue . Let us go with the publicans lowly spirit , and with the sinking disciple's importunate entreaty , "Lord save me , I perish ! Lord I look to thee for safety . There is no safety in myself . I feel that I am a lost undone sinner , and unless plucked from the billows of sin , I shall perish everlastingly . But Lord, from the depths  I cry to thee; help me , O thou helper of the helpless !Show me that "mans extremity is God's opportunity ," and

Repentance must be the work of our whole lives, for so our turning from sin and returning to God will be , if we are true penitents. While the sincere penitent is fleeing from sin , it follows him . It often overtakes him , and therefore he must renew his flight often . New provocations require a renewed exercise of repentance ; nay , old sins are not to be forgotten . "Remember "said Moses to Israel , "and forget not , how thou provokest the Lord thy God to wrath in the wilderness." And the Psalmist prayed thus ; "Remember not the sins of my youth , nor my transgressions." The whole life of a true penitent is a continual warfare . During this warfare he must fight many battles . Sometimes he gains the victory and sometimes he loses. If he loses he must renew the fight ; if he gains , he must pursue the victory and prepare for a new encounter . But he should always be of good courage and maintain his conflicts resolutely , for though he may lose a particul

"And they come unto thee as the people cometh  , and they sit before thee as my people , and they hear thy words , but they will not do them ; for with their mouth they show much love , but their heart goeth after their covetousness. And lo thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice , and can play well on an instrument , for they hear thy words but they do them not "

The saviour who died for you is the mighty God , and is able to keep your immortal soul, and even your mortal body , safe in life , in death , and through eternity . That heart of His is full of human sympathies , but they are the sympathies of a God , and not powerless , like the tears of a mere man . Where Jesus weeps , death itself lets go its grasp, and Lazarus comes forth . He loves you with all tenderness, and gentleness , and warm affectiopn of His human heart , but with all the force of that divinity to which it belongs . Trust Him implicitly , love Him fervently , live for Him entirely , as redeemed unto God by His blood .     James Ramsey

O Lord , revive thy work in the midst of the years. Hab 3v2. When we are oppressed with the state of the church and the world , as Habakkuk was , there is no resource but to turn to God . It is of no use to say to our brother , "What shall we do. "Better at once to get into the presence of the Almighty . All conferences with flesh and blood are wasted breath , unless ther has been a previous one with God . Note the unselfishness of the prayer which precedes revival . We must not pray ,"Revive my work ,"lest the insidious temptation come in of using the stream of God's blessings to turn our own tiny water wheels for our own profit . Let us get beyond the narrow limits of our church or section and ask for a revival of GOD'S work everywhere . If any preach another Gospel than that which the Apostles preached , let him be accursed ; he is selling bran for wheat ; he is filling cartridges with sand. We want nothing but the Gospel of the Cross of Jesus Christ ,

As long as we can stand and hold our own , we fail of our quest . When we are lamed and broken , and unable to do more than cling , we realise God's hidden stores of blessed help . The sick child elicits most of the mother's love . The last born babe drags down to the level of its tiny mouth its strong and brawny father . Meyer

"O man ," Tersteegen said , "whoever you are , stand still for a moment , and think earnestly of the high dignity for which you were created , and sent into the world by God .  You were not made for time and for passing things , but for God and eternity , and to have your heart filled with God and with things eternal .  Yield yourself up fearlessly to his mighty working , and be still, and welcome Him in his gracious operation in the heart,"

Every one knows that it would be far better to lose our feet than our head . Adam had feet to stand with , but we have lost them by his disobedience  ; yet glory to God , we have found a Head  , in whom we abide eternally secure , a Head which we will never lose.  Spurgeon

"A gentleman in our civil wars ,"says Cowley, "when his quarters were beaten up by the enemy , was taken prisoner , and lost his life afterwards by staying to put on a band , and adjust his wig ; he would escape like a person of quality , or not at all, and died the noble martyr of ceremony and gentility." Poor fool, and yet he is just as bad who waits till he is dressed in the rags of his own fancied fitness before he will come to Jesus.  He will die a martyr to pride and self - righteousness.

It is said of Goethe , the great German , that in of those dark unsatisfied hours in which his mighty intellect and soul groped after the true rest , he thus recorded his undefined longings for that for which he had failed to attain :-            "Fairest among Heavens daughters ,             Thou who stillest pain and  woe,            Pourest Thy refreshing waters             On the thirsty here below ;              Whither tends this restless striving !              Faint and tired I long for rest.              Heaven -born Peace,              Come and dwell within my breast."  These words were found on a scrap of paper lying on his writing table . A devoted friend of kindred intellectual pursuits , but who tasted of a better fountain  and therefore knew what alone could quench these unsated aspirations , wrote on the other side , "Peace I leave with you , my peace I give unto you . Let not your heart be troubled , neither let it be afraid."

"The shepherds have become brutish, and have not inquired of the Lord " Jeremiah 10: 21.       This a very solemn indictment , but the pity of it is that it is true of many shepherds of flocks in our own land . We must avoid generalising  too widely : but on the whole , it is incontestable that a dwindling flock and a waning cause , point to prayerlessness on the part of the members, but almost certainly on the part of the shepherd himself. And it becomes us to search our hearts to see how far our prayerlessness may not be hindering the work of God in our own church.

A frigid orthodoxy can no more save you than a fierce heresy . The greatest heresy of all , as one has said , is the want of love ; love to Christ , to His cross , His crown , and the  souls He died to save . It is only as the Spirit dwells within you , and teaches you , and fills your heart with the sweet experience of the power and grace of your redeeming God , that you can resist the assaults of error . Taught by this Spirit , and bearing in a holy life , the seal of the living God on your foreheads , you may defy all its artifices . Hence, says the apostle when speaking of the antichrists that were then abroad , ."But ye have an unction from the Holy One , and know all things ."  "The annointing that ye have received of Him abideth in you ; and ye need not that any man teach you , but as the same annointing teacheth you of all things , and is truth , and is no lie , even as it hath taught you , ye shall abide in Him."   "Many false prophets have gone out in

Old age without God ? -the best wine is in this case taken first :youth and manhood drain the cup . When these are ended , it is exhausted ; waning years must be content with "that which is worse ,"or mocked with the empty vessel . Old age with God ? - the best wine is kept for the last .  Old age without God ?- it is graphically described as the overthrow of all worldly pride and glory-" Bel boweth down , Nebo stoopeth " (Isaiah 46 1-4.) it is the spoliation of the earthly temple , the pillage of everything that ministered to earth's ephemeral happiness. Old age with God - it can stand with the prophet , even in the midst of catastrophe and ruin and death , claiming as its own the sustaining words , "Even to your old age I am He ; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you ; I have made and I will bear; even I will carry , and deliver you ." "O joys, that sweetest in decay Fall not like like withered leaves away; But with the silent breath Of v

"O Israel trust thou in the Lord. He is their help and their shield " What especial encouragement is here to the faithful minister of Christ ! What a tower of all prevailing strength to the humble labourers in the Gospel field ! They seem tow in weakness the seed of a few weak words . But it takes root . A gracious plant springs up . It sheds forth fragrance like Eden , and bears fruit for the garner of the King of Kings . It thus flourishes , though checked by ungenial climate - scorched by fiery suns - battered by rain and hail . The boar out of the wood cannot waste it ; nor the wild beast of the field devour it . How is this ? "Upon all the glory is a defence ." No weapon that is formed against it ,can prosper ; For the word of the Lord is truth , "I am thy shield." Therefore ,ye servants of the living God , bless His Holy name . He always causes you to triumph in Christ . Go on in the corslet of faith , and under the covering of your Lord . Soon wil

Men by nature are soul starved , pining away under the want of souls' food ; and not only so , but they are so dead that they know not, nor feel it not ; for that he is" the bread of life ", imports not only this their pining condition ,but their being dead under it . Otherwise if they truly felt it , it would be a sign of a good condition to be sensible of their worst estate .   Christ is unto the needy soul all that it can need. He is , by way of excellency , the food of souls , which quickens them when they are dead , and refreshes them , and preserves the life which he gives; for he saith "I am that bread of life ." The excellent virtue in Christ to give and preserve life is ground of confidence to a believer ,that by closing with him he shall have everlasting life

May we look to a far higher pattern than any man - whoever that man may be . May we look to the Great Chief Shepherd , in whose steps we are to walk ! May we abide in Him , and never trifle !    May we hold on our way , looking to Jesus author and finisher of our faith , keeping clear of the world , its pleasures and its follies, -caring nothing for the world's frowns , and not much moved by the world's smiles,- looking forward to the day when the Great Shepherd shall give to all who have done His work , and preached His Gospel , a crown of glory that fadeth not away! The more we have the mind of Christ , the more we shall understand what it is to "give ourselves to these things."

Every minister truly called to office by the Spirit of God has a gift which may be described as innate , but brought to light and activity by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit . Fundamentally, it is a natural or concreated endowment , but called into exercise by the Spirit for the good of the church , and fitting the possessors of it to do a work which no other can do so well ; and the conscious possession of which should have a twofold effect ,-should disengage their minds fron all tendency to envy the gifts of others , and all disposition to be discontented with their own .        The first disciples were called to wait in the attitude of humble supplicants for the power with which they were to be endued by the Holy Spirit coming upon them (Acts 1. 8); and we have there an example of what is ever to be reproduced . Before this they evinced ignorance and prejudice , timidity and shrinking from the cross , ambition and pride . After the descent of the Spirit there was no more d

We are prone to forget the fact that John Knox was a chosen leader of the Reformation both at home and abroad , not a self inflicted exponent of its doctrines , leading the Reformers on through storm and stress to the victory which at last crowned his and their labours. To Knox's rare talent of dealing with men we owe the comparative bloodlessness of the later reformation period in Scotland , the elaboration of an effective educational system , the prevention of an upheaval in connection with the succession to the crown , the consolidation of our relations between Church and State, upset though this has been by the contentions of later times . On England and the Continent too, he has left his mark of statemanship ; while all english - speaking nations are indebted to him more than to any other man for the religious and civil liberties they enjoy.      We can best honour his memory by cultivating those qualities which singled him out as the greatest of Scotsmen . Like him , when by

Before the session of parliament , Knox preached an admonitory sermon to the nobility in St. Giles , and more particularly as to Mary's projected marriage (to Don Carlos , heir to the Spanish throne ) . "And now , my Lords , to put an end to all this , note the day , and bear witness hereafter , whenever the nobility of Scotland , who profess the Lord Jesus , consent that an infidel - and all Papists are infidels -shall be head to your sovereign , ye do as far in you lieth to banish  Christ from this realm and to bring God's vengeance on the country."     May 1563

"The Lord is the portionof mine inheritance and of my cup : thou maintainest my lot . The lines have fallen unto me in pleasant places ; yea , I have a goodly heritage ." Our blessed Jesus  more than walked patiently in all His path below . There was joy set before Him which gladdened His every step. In Christ God is our God forever . Can we desire more? How rich is this portion ! How reviving is our cup ! How can we bless His grace enough who has called us to this enobling state ? Angels are ours to guard . Providences are ours to secure our bliss . The God - mans blood is ours to wash out every sin . A righteousness is prepared to robe us for the courts above  . Heaven  is promised as our eternal home . We have a goodly heritage.      Henry Law.

Entry for 16 August 2008 - Untitled - Blog - My blog post - Yahoo! Pulse

That faith which is without spiritual light ,is not the faith of the children of light and of the day, but the presumption of the children of darkness . And therefore to press and to urge them to believe without any spiritual light or sight , tend greatly to help forward the delusions of the prince of darkness.................

When the apostle calls the gospel "the power of God "Romans 1 :16 and the preaching of Christ crucified , "the power of God ,"1 Cor. 1 : 24 , we have a statement which explicitely affirms that the Divine power of the Spirit goes associated with the proclamation of the atonement , but will not be associated with a style of teaching which substitutes any other theme .  Smeaton.

Small and apparently harmless Popery began ; with a power and perseverance of a principle in nature it spread and defiled the church. How completely that leaven penetrated the lump may be seen everywhere throughout Europe , in the architecture , sculpture , paintings , - in the laws , habits , and language that have come down from the middle ages to our own day . The evil spirit of Papacy has intruded into every place ; into the councils of kings , into the laws of nations , into the births , marriages , and deaths of the people . Between ruler and subject, between husband and wife  , between parent and child , comes the priest , gliding in like water through seamy walls , sapping their foundations . Into the inmost heart of maid , wife , mother creeps the confessional , tainting , souring , defiling society in its springs , - a leaven of malice and wickedness, a leaven at once of Pharisee and Sadducee , a superstition that believes everything  in alliance with a scepticism that believ

O the blindness of a heathen persecutor ! If he would find a place of exile to a Christian , he must find one  if he can , from whence Christ can first be banished ! If he would not that the Christian faith should be propagated , he must not drive the confessors from their houses, for they are heralds of Christ's kingdom whithersoever they go.   Cyprian.

"All praise and thanks be to the  Lord; For he hath magnified His wondrous works to me within Acity fortify'ed. "   This is the believer's song . He has a strong city. Salvation has God appointed for walls and bulwarks . He enters into Christ . He sits secure in an impregnable fort . No foe can pass the gates ,. No might can make impression on the walls . The foundations are exceeding strong . Serene in his fortress he learns many lessons  and feasts on precious truths . They all speak of mercy , grace , love ; and all these are wondrous

"Weep not" in heart-broken sorrow under the afflictions which may be pressing so heavily upon you.  These are all in the covenant ; every one of them is recorded in that book in the right hand of Him that sitteth on the Throne , as part of the process needed for you purification; and every one of them is administered by the Lamb that was slain for you .The same hand that was nailed to the cross unfolds your whole life's daily history , and does it with unerring wisdom , so as to secure the result promised in the everlasting covenant .     "Weep not" in view of the church's sad imperfections , impurities , and backsliding  , or of her calamities, and the power and hostility of the world, and the darkness of those dispensations of Providence which seem to remove far distant the period of anticipated triumph . All these apostacies and calamities , all opposition and conflicts , are written in that sealed book ; they are as the succeeding revelations fully prov

"Who is he to whom the mouth of the Lord hath spoken , that he may declare it?"  Jeremiah : 9 : 12. A saintly soul has translated these words into music , which expresses their inner thought :- "Lord , speak to me , that I may speak  In living echoes of thy tone:  As thou hast sought , so let me seek  Thy erring children , lost and lone. O teach me Lord , that I may teach  The precious things thou dost impart : And wing my words , that they may reach  The hidden depths of many a heart." With such expressions of the disciples of the Lord, we could couple his sublime words: " Be not anxious how or what ye shall speak : for it shall be given you in that hour what you shall speak . For it is not ye that speak , but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you," And again he said : "What I tell you in the darkness , speak ye in the light: and what ye hear in the ear , proclaim upon the housetops. " Often we have run before we were sent.

And where is that thirst to be quenched ? Where else are the wells of water to be had , " Springing up into everlasting life ," but in the grace and promises of God as  revealed in his blessed word? -" I the Lord will hear them , I the God of Israel will not forsake them; I will open streams  in the hills and fountains in the low valleys ;" and like the waters seen by Ezekiel bursting from the threshold of the sanctuary, " Everything lives  whither the river cometh." In these days , when daring spirits , are rising up to decry the authority of Scripture , - to declare, in their arrogance and pride , that Christianity is an effete and worn - out superstition, and the utterances of her holy oracles cunningly devised fables, which an interested priesthood seeks to palm on the ignorant and the credulous; I would ask in all earnestness; what has ever quenched the longings of  the deathless soul but these same glorious revelations which they would now try to sup

"The way is dark, my Father! Cloud on cloud Is gathering thickly  o'er my head , and loud The thunders roar above me . See, I stand Like one bewildered !  Father , take my hand. The day goes fast , my Father  ! and the night Is drawing darkly down  . My faithless sight Sees ghostly visions ; fears , a spectral band , Encompass me .O Father ! take my hand. The way is long, my Father ! and my soul Longs for the rest and quiet of the goal. While yet I journey through this weary land , Keep me from wandering .  Father ! take my hand.'      ------------------------------------------- "The way is dark my child ! but leads to light ; I would not always have thee walk by sight, My dealings now thou canst not understand, I meant it so ; but I will take thy hand. The day goes fast my child ! but is the night Darker to me than day? In me is light! Keep close to me , and every spectral band Of fears shall vanish . I will take thy hand . The way is long m