THE GARLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 3292, 18 April 1917, Page 47

THE GARLAND.

FOR THE QUIET HOUE.

No. 190. By Duncan Wright, Dunedin. PATIENCE. "Patience is but lying-to, and riding out the gale."—Beeclier. "Pray and stay are two blessed monosyllables."—Dr Donne. "Never think that God's delays are God's denials. Hold on, hold fast, hold out. Patience is genius."—Buffon. "Patience is power. With time and patience, the mulberry leaf becomes satin.'" —Eastern proverb. " Patience is an anodyne of God's own preparation."—Cowper. "To things which you bear with impatience you should accustom yourself; and by habit you will bear them well. Seneca. "Only a little patience," The words are full of cheer; It is not much we're needing If we've but patience here. "Only a little patience," It might save many a fear, It might still many a longing, It might dry many a tear. "Only a little patience," The will of God to do, And then the joy of finding Fulfilled His promise true. Are others waiting for Him? Ah! if they only knew - How He will greet the watchers, You would be watching too. "Only a little patience," And we <shall hail the day When He that shall come, will come, To bear His Church away: For, "Surely I come quickly,' ■Have we not heard Him say? He'll come, He will not tarry, JSTor longer brook delay. " 0 impatient ones! Did the leaves say nothing to you as they murmured when you came hither to-day t '■ They were not created this spring, but months ago; and the summer just begun will fashion others for another year. At the bottom of every leaf-stem is a cradle, and in it is an infant germ; and the winds will rock it, and the birds Avill sing to it all summer long ; and next season it will unfold. So God is working for you, and carrying forward to the perfect development all the processes of your lives."— Beecher.

"Patience," says Bishop Hopkins, "is the ballast of the soul that will keep it from rolling and tumbling in the greatest storms; and he that will venture out without this to make him sail even and steady will certainly make shipwreck and drown himself—first in the cares and sorrows of this world, and then in perdition." Says the immortal Calvin: "I have not so great a struggle with my vices, great and numerous as they are, as I have with my impatience. My efforts ate not absolutely useless; yet I have never been able to conquer this wild beast. Patience means restraining blame, Patience means enduring shame, Patience means in hottest flame, Standing still. Patience means to go to school, Patience means to look a fool, Patience means to be a- tool Of His will. Patience reads her .title clear, Patience knows the end is near, Keeps when storms are howling drear, Calm of mind. Patience crowned at last will stand ■Safe within the promised land, All the dreary waste of sand Left behind. ..••■* The well known Krummacher writes: " I compare patience to the most precious thing that the earth produces —a jewel. Pressed by sand and rocks, it reposes in the dark lap of the earth. Though no ray of light comes near to it, it is radiant with imperishable beauty. Its brightness remains even in the deep night; but when liberated from the dark prison it forms, united to gold, the distinguishing mark and ornament of glory —the ring, the sceptre, and the crown, said the wise Hillel. "Her end and reward is the crown of life.' "

Many of us are glad and thankful to read the words of the sweet American poet Whittier on " The Angel of Patience " in these dark and cloudy days of war, widespread sorrow, and tears: To weary hearts, to mourning homes, Gods meekest Angel gently comes: No power has he to banish pain, Or give us back our lost again; And yet in tenderest love, our dear And Heavenly Father sends him here. There's quiet in that Angel's glance, There's rest in his still countenance! He mocks no grief with idle cheei-, Nor wo\uids with words the mourners ear, But ilia and woes he may not cure He kindly trains us to endure. Angel of Patience! sent to calm Our feverish 'brow3 with cooling palm; To lay the storms of hope and fear, And reconcile life's smite and ■'ear; The throbs of wounded pride to still, And make our own cur Father's will I O thoix who mournest on thy way, With longing for the close of day; Ho walks with thee, that Angel kmd, And gently whispers, "Bo resigned: Boar up, bear on, the end shall tell Th>s dear Lord ordereth all things well!" Bishop Home writes: " Patience is the guardian of faith, the preserver of peace, the cherisher of love, the teacher of humility. Patience governs tho flesh, strengths the spirit, sweetens the temper, stifles anger, ex-

tinguishes envy, subdues pricle. She bridles the tongue, restrains the hand, tramples upon temptations, , endures persecutions, consummates martyrdom. " Patience 2 3r0^uces unity in the Church, loyalty in the State, harmony in , families and societies; she comforts the poor and moderates the rich. She makes us humble in prosperity, cheerful in adversity, unmoved by calumny and reproach; she teaches us to forgive those who have injured us, and to be the first hi asking forgiveness of those whom we have injured; she delights the faithful, and invites the unbelieving; she adorns the woman and approves the man; she is beautiful in either sex and every age. Behold her appearance and her attire. Her countenance is calm and serene, as the face of heaven unspotted by the shadow of a cloud, and not one wrinkle of grief or anger is seen on her forehead. Her. eyes are as the eyes of doves for meekness, and on her eyebrows sit cheerfulness and joy. Her mouth is lovely in silence; her complexion and colour that of innocence and security; while, like the virgin, the daughter Sion, she shakes her head at the adversary, despising and laughing him to scorn. She is clothed in the robes of the martyrs, and in her hand she holds a sceptre in the form of a cross. She rides not in the whirlwind and stormy tempest of passion, but her throne is the humble and contrite heart, and her kingdom is the. kingdom of peace."

" Plodding, commonplace -workman though Patience seems, hers is a work that, will we let it, comes to a wonderful perfection. There is an air about things her hand has been on that is as unmistakable as it is indescribable. Not to sudden and bold strikes does the marble owe its utmost perfectness. No, but to the silent, oft-repeated passages of the chisel over the stone, little more than audible in the occurrence, almost_ imperceptible in the separate result—it is these that leave the statue a marvel and a desire. Let us 'run with patience.'" PATIENCE OF HOPE. * Have patience, my brother; oh, be not despairing; Nor fvet thou, nor murmur at seeming delays; For oft, in God's providence, dark clouds are bearing Eich showers of blessings for happier days. "I sleep," dost thou say, "but my lonely heart wakethj. And sigha, 'Ah, "how long will this heavy gloom last!' " 'Tis darkest, we know, just before the day breaketk; Oh, wait, and the midnight gloom -will soon, be past. Or is it day with thee, yet no sun shining To cheer thy cold spirit and brighten thy And is that the reason why thon art repinAh I 1 think why it is that thy sun shineth not. The vapours and- mists which the sun's light is shrouding, . ~ • Descend not from heaven, but rise from the And the dark gloomy fears which thy life's sky are clouding Have all in thine own want of faith had their birth. Oh! why art thou so slowly comfort receivso unworthy? That is not denied; But is that cause for doubting? lS.o! cause for believing, _ . Since, 'tis for the unworthy the Saviour has died. The Rev. Dean Vaughan asks: "WHAT IS PATIENCE? "Patience has two ingredients. The beautiful word for it in the original conveys definition in the very name. Patience is, being interpreted, 'submissive waiting.' It is often treated as if it were identical with resignation. _ The unsympathising comforter sets himself beside the widow or the fatherless, and preaches what he calls 'patience.' It is but one-half of patience that he so much knows of —submission to a stronger will, or what he calls a Higher Power, lest we provoke It to put Itself forth in further and more crushing chastisement. How feeble is such counsel in the ear of great sorrow! How unlike in itself to the voice of Jesus Christ, which it thinks to echo! It knows but one half—nay, nob that—of the Divine patience. Far better were it in such a situation to utter-the two words ' Jesus wept,' and to point upward the while to where he sits, the same who wept below, at the right hand of God, touched with all our infirmities, and because He suffered Himself able to comfort, able to help."