THE CHURCH of God, with equal care, | |
| Her blessings and her work doth share | |
| With all, both high and low; | |
| Her holiest is her highest place, | |
| No rank but that of growth in grace, | 5 |
| Her loving heart doth know. | |
| |
| She, at the poor man’s cottage door, | |
| Stands blessing all his simple store, | |
| And finds, in his abode, | |
| Oftimes the fairest gifts that can | 10 |
| Be offer’d, by unworthy man, | |
| To an all-holy God. | |
| |
| The darling child, who from his youth | |
| Hath grown in stature and in truth, | |
| His parents’ prop and pride, | 15 |
| Hath stoop’d his shoulder to the cross, | |
| Hath gain’d a life of worldly loss, | |
| And for his Saviour died. | |
| |
| He left the cottage home so dear, | |
| Dash’d from his eye the starting tear, | 20 |
| And bade a long farewell | |
| To the low roof, and creeping vine | |
| That round that blessed spot doth twine, | |
| Where home’s beloved ones dwell. | |
| |
| He bore the cross to foreign lands, | 25 |
| O’er frozen seas and burning sands, | |
| He bade its banner wave; | |
| There, with the sword of God’s good word, | |
| Won souls, by thousands to the Lord, | |
| Then found a martyr’s grave. | 30 |
| |
| Think not his sacrifice was small; | |
| Poor home! poor parents! they were all | |
| His sum of earthly bliss! | |
| The rough, but old familiar spot | |
| Can never be by him forgot, | 35 |
| In the next world or this. | |
| |
| Up to the latest hour of life, | |
| Through all its changeful calm and strife, | |
| That memory did come | |
| Like a soft breath of summer air, | 40 |
| And the last words he breathed in prayer, | |
| They were of Heav’n and home. | |
| |
| The poor man’s son, though simply rear’d, | |
| His home doth hold as much endear’d | |
| As do the richest theirs; | 45 |
| The scene of all his early years, | |
| Hallow’d alike by smiles and tears, | |
| By pleasures, and by cares. | |
| |
| If he with earnest heart doth bring | |
| To God this free-will offering, | 50 |
| The firstling of his store; | |
| Tho’ richer men may deem it small, | |
| Yet, if he give to God his all, | |
| What can he offer more? | |
| |
| And thus the mem’ry of St. James | 55 |
| In cottage homes affection claims, | |
| When in some poor abode, | |
| The child of many hopes and prayers, | |
| Despite of added household cares, | |
| Is offer’d up to God. | 60 |
| |
| The fisher’s son without delay, | |
| To Christ obedient shows the way | |
| The poor for God may take; | |
| How England’s cottage-homes may yield | |
| Strong labourers for the harvest field | 65 |
| To toil for Jesus’ sake. | |
| |
| And not alone in learning’s haunt, | |
| And palace-homes, all that we want | |
| For the great work is found; | |
| Bold soldiers of the Cross, and true, | 70 |
| Amongst the very humblest too, | |
| With willing hearts abound. | |
| |
| O Saviour of the world! Thy call, | |
| In cottage-home, and palace-hall | |
| Is wanting, to supply | 75 |
| Those, who, like James, their fisher’s net, | |
| Or Paul, their learned lore forget, | |
| For Thee to live and die. | |
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