Watching shepherds have had warning
Of the sweet and gracious morning;
They leave their lambs upon the sod,
And come to see the Lamb of God.
The Baby smiles—He cannot speak,
For He is as mute and weak
As any other son of man ;—

He smiles, and that is all He can.

For He in heaven has left behind
All that could mark him from mankind,
And years shall pass before the hour
That He shall first display creative power.
But, lowly shepherds, unto you 'tis given

To see what God did ne'er before disclose,
A wonder to the sagest thrones in Heaven—
Your Lord Himself, disguised in swaddling clothes.
What angels could not guess before 'twas done-

The secret lies asleep with that sweet little one.

Lowly shepherds, haste away,

Ye have done whate'er

ye

Ye can only praise and pray,

could;

Seek your flocks beside the wood ;—

Beside the wood, and on the glimmering plain :

Lord grant ye have not seen your Lord in vain!

And now the Babe sits upright on her knee.
Calm is the mother, as a humble soul

Is ever calm when it receives a dole

Of

grace,

that makes it more devout and free.

But there has been a star,

That hath summon'd from afar,

Even from the farthest East, from burning realms,
Which oft the sandy tempest overwhelms,-
From tribes that haply have survived the wreck
Of ancient knowledge, whom Melchisedech
Led eastward ever towards the Sun's nativity,

Up steep Himaus' height and down his sharp declivity,―

Three venerable men,

Most reverend all, as aged men should be ;

But who they were abides beyond the ken

Of Time-defeating History.

Three men there were, with frankincense and myrrh, Knelt before Mary and entreated her,

For her sweet Infant's sake—for all

That he might be, and men might holy call, To take their gold and frankincense and myrrh. The maiden smiled, the Baby smiled likewise; Yet there was something in his mien and eyes,

That said-I take it as the gift of love:
Ye seek to please an infant with a toy.

So go your ways.

Back to your spicy grove;

But Christ is not,

for aye, a baby boy :

I do not love your incense or your gold,

Like the sweet welcome from the shepherds' fold.

But since that maiden mother, meek,

Within a little, little week,

Such strange adventures had to bear,
So fearful strange,—she did not dare
To ask of God, or her own heart

What holy truth they might impart :
And since the tears were still in Mary's eyes
Till her blest Son received her in the skies,—
Let not the heart, whose sorrow cannot call
This Christmas merry, slight the festival :
Let us be merry that may merry be,

But let us not forget that many mourn;
The smiling Baby came to give us glee,

But for the weepers was the Saviour born.

SIMEON.

In the huge temple, deck'd by Herod's pride,
Who fain would bribe a God he ne'er believed,
Kneels a meek woman, that hath once conceived,
Tho' she was never like an earthly bride.
And yet the stainless would be purified,
And wash away the stain that yet was none,
And for the birth of her immaculate Son
With the stern rigour of the law complied:
The duty paid received its due reward
When Simeon bless'd the Baby on her arm;
And though he plainly told her that a sword
Must pierce her soul, she felt no weak alarm,
For that for which a Prophet thank'd the Lord
Once to have seen, could never end in harm.

JESUS PRAYING.

LUKE VI. 12.

He sought the mountain and the loneliest height,
For He would meet his Father all alone,

And there, with many a tear and many a groan,
He strove in prayer throughout the long, long night.
Why need He pray, who held by filial right,
O'er all the world alike of thought and sense,
The fullness of his Sire's omnipotence?

Why crave in prayer what was his own by might?
Vain is the question,-Christ was man in deed,
And being man, his duty was to pray.

The Son of God confess'd the human need,
And doubtless ask'd a blessing every day.

Nor ceases yet for sinful man to plead,

Nor will, till heaven and earth shall pass away.