EMBLEM XII. SECOND PART. JOHN, chap. 12, v. 35. Yet a little while is the light with you. VII. IS LIFE A long short strife, And nothing more?- it ought To be, the nursery of thought The time allotted to prepare our souls With true and "visé" passports! good at heavenly tolls! VIII. TO KNOW, Where lurks the foe And what his strength, is half The battle-with thy pilgrim staff, If Pilgrim true thou art-thou may'st assault The tempting fiend-and haply bring him to default ! G IX. BEFORE The conflict sore: Let Hope, thy thews encase : And Faith, thy holy courage brace; Be Love, thy trust—which if vouchsaf'd, thou'rt sure To foil the tempter-and the promised prize secure. X. "TIS GONE! "The bell strikes one!" The myst'ry's solv'd-in youth Be wise-and know this solemn truth! Life is the time to seek the Lord-in death There's no "repent"-Hope flits upon the parting breath! XI. AND ALL Our own we call; We leave the wise-laid plan For eking out our little span Of life, in deeds of worth and piety, Put off-undone-Death tears us from society. XII. O'ERCAST The sunshine past— The cold earth intervenes Between the actor, and life-scenes! This ponderous Globe shall disappear! Death die ! TIME lose his 'count!-bewildered in Eternity! S. AUGUST. Thou knowest not what time he will come; wait always, that because thou knowest not the time of his coming, thou mayst be prepared against the time he cometh. ANON. Despise ye the mammon of this world-be ye temperate and humble-vigilant-valiant for the faith and persevering to the end; so shall ye inherit the Crown of Glory. DEUT., chap. 20, v. 3, 4. Neither be ye terrified because of them. For the Lord your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you. EPH., chap. 6, v. 12. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities. 1 JOHN, chap. 2, v. 17. The world passeth away, and the lust thereof. EPIG. Man, prates about his love of peace, and hate of strife- And Life, and Death, preach holy certainties in vain. ALAS! We sob and cry Most piteously, In early INFANCY! Our CHILDHOOD years move trippingly: Our BOYHOOD and our lectures crawlingly And then we wish for power and manhood ardently We love & hate, & hope & fear-gain, lose; are hale & sick alternately! So passes MANHOOD-then comes on OLD AGE & feebleness; & then we sigh er the time that 's past,-and think it all mispent-are very worldly wise-and DIE! Leaving our little "good or ill" to that world's whim to blot or magnify: And then our friends, with ostentation, send the body to the grave-in earth to lie : And kindred weep, 'kerchief in hand-and put on black, to mistify: And say they share our gold reluctantly, Thinking the time arrived full tardily! And then they live right merrily OLD SLY! This World's a Circus-Hospital, a Paradise, a Sty! A very, very SACRED-To SLY |