The church of Rome and England too,
Are names of men, which once were new;
The highly boasted Baptist name,
And Methodist are all the same.
The Presbyterian, polite,
And Universalist so light;
The honest Quaker, thee and thou,
Are merely names of men, I trow.
Disciple, follower, christian, friend,
For these I equally contend;
With every other scripture sound,
In gospel rule that can be found.
Altho' these names, I do reject,
Yet those who hold them I respect
As brethren in the Lord of life;
So live in love and quit all strife.
My fellowship in Christ is bound
To all those souls where love is found
Of every order, sect and name--
In Christ I count them all the same.
Not by our own seeking we first met in love,
But as on the earth duty calls us to rove;
As Adam saw Eve, and his heart was inclined,
So when each saw the other, affections combined.
Now mountains and valleys and plains outstretched wide,
At present our persons completely divide,
Pure streams, and wide oceans, are rolling between--
Cold winters, sweet summers, and springs intervene.
But winters and summers pass by in swift pace,
And each cheering season rolls on in their race,
And soon bring the hour when we'll join hand and heart,
As one in the Lord, until death do us part.
By special assignment in twilight we meet,
To think of each other, and in spirit to greet,
To bow in our closets though far, far, away,
To offer our thanks, and for blessings to pray.
This hour always lonely is still mingled with joy,
To bow down in secret is happy employ,
This happy devotion together we'll pay,
When space intervening has vanished away.
ON THE USES OF AFFLICTION
Our heavenly Father's love
Shines through afflictions day.
Tho' like a mournful dove
We wing our weary way,
It works for good,
The souls best food--
We'll bid it welcome then.
It sanctifies the heart;
It purifies the gold;
It serves the better part
In peace to us unfold.
Kiss then the rod;
It is from God,
A token of his love.
In Zion is his fire
To chasten the desire
And raise our spirits higher;
So tribulation
Works out salvation,
And peace and glory brings.
There on the verge of time,
Triumphant faith we'll chime.
O happy thought sublime;
When heaven's high arches ring
With halelujahs loud
Amid the shining crowd;
Saying worthy is the Lamb.
Abner Jones