Читать книгу The Novels of Faith – Premium 7 Book Collection - Finley Martha - Страница 17

"'I want a sweet sense of Thy pardoning love,

That my manifold sins are forgiven;

That Christ, as my Advocate, pleadeth above,

That my name is recorded in heaven.

"'I want every moment to feel

That thy Spirit resides in my heart—

That his power is present to cleanse and to heal,

And newness of life to impart.

"'I want—oh! I want to attain

Some likeness, my Saviour, to thee!

That longed for resemblance once more to regain,

Thy comeliness put upon me.

"'I want to be marked for thine own—

Thy seal on my forehead to wear;

To receive that new name on the mystic white stone

Which none but thyself can declare.

"'I want so in thee to abide

As to bring forth some fruit to thy praise;

The branch which thou prunest, though feeble and dried,

May languish, but never decays.

"'I want thine own hand to unbind

Each tie to terrestrial things,

Too tenderly cherished, too closely entwined,

Where my heart so tenaciously clings.

"'I want, by my aspect serene,

My actions and words, to declare

That my treasure is placed in a country unseen,

That my heart's best affections are there.

"'I want as a trav'ller to haste

Straight onward, nor pause on my way;

Nor forethought in anxious contrivance to waste

On the tent only pitched for a day.

"'I want—and this sums up my prayer—

To glorify thee till I die;

Then calmly to yield up my soul to thy care,

And breathe out in faith my last sigh.'"

[Footnote: These beautiful words are not mine, nor do I know either the name of the author or where they were originally published.]

He was silent for a moment after she had repeated the last verse, then laying his hand softly on her head, and looking searchingly into her eyes, he asked, "And does my little one really wish all that those words express?"

"Yes, papa, for myself and for you too," she answered. "O papa! I do want to be all that Jesus would have me! just like Him; so like Him that everybody who knows me will see the likeness and know that I belong to Him."

"Nay, you belong to me," he said, leaning over her and patting her cheek. "Hush! not a syllable from your lips. I will have no gainsaying of my words," he added, with a mixture of authority and playfulness, as she seemed about to reply. "Now shut your eyes and go to sleep; I will have no more talking to-night."

She obeyed at once; the white lids gently closed over the sweet eyes, the long, dark lashes rested quietly on the fair, round cheek, and soon her soft regular breathing told that she had passed into the land of dreams.

Her father sat, still holding the little hand, and still gazing tenderly upon the sweet young face, till, something in its expression reminding him of words she had just repeated,

"I want to be marked for thine own—

Thy seal on my forehead to wear,"

he laid it gently down, rose, and bent over her with a troubled look.

"Ah, my darling, that prayer is granted already!" he murmured; "for, ah me! you seem almost too good and pure for earth. But oh, God forbid that you should be taken from me to that place where I can see that your heart is even now. How desolate should I be!" and he turned away with a shiver and a heavy sigh, and hastily quitted the room.