OUT OF THE DEPTHS.

In my home I sat aweary,Thinking of the life so drearyThat before me lay;Of the life once bright and cheery,That was now so dark and dreary,That had been so sad and lonely,Since my darling one, my only,Passed from earth away;Taking with her all the brightness,All the joy and all the lightness,Leaving me so lone,That my heart could not cease moaning,Could not cease its bitter groaning,For my child—my own.Thus I sat in deepest sadnessThinking of the joy and gladness,That alas! had flown;Thinking of the joy and pleasureThat she gave in such full measure,Thinking of her cheerful smiling,Of her song, the hours beguiling,And her loving tone.Till these memories o’er me throngingFilled me with intensest longingAnd I cried, “O tell!Where is heaven? and is she there?Did she climb the ‘Golden stair’?With her is it well?”Though an angel child she seemed,Had she really been redeemed?Was she born of God?Had the blood on Calvary spilt,Made atonement for her guilt?Thus I pondered, sorely grieving,The old dogma still believing,That by Jesus’ bloodOnly, could the soul secureLife in Heaven; and was I sureThat she had believed?Though her life was pure and sweet,And she seemed for Heaven made meet,Had she been received?“Lord,” I cried in bitter anguish;“For some proof my soul doth languish,That in Heaven aboveWith the blest and pure ‘Immortals’Who have passed within its portals,With the pure and holy angels,She is chanting glad evangels,Chanting hymns of love.She while here, was ever singing,Her sweet tones were ever ringing,Like a silvery bell.Oh! almost beyond enduranceSeems my grief—without assuranceThat with her, ’tis well.”While thus, I sat moaning, sobbing,And my burdened heart was throbbingWith its bitter grief,Suddenly a voice said near me,Child of earth, I come to cheer thee;Come to bring the words of gladness;Come to drive away the sadness;Come to bring reliefCome to tell you that your childWith her life so sweet and mild,Had a heaven on earth.And Death could not disinheritOf the pure and loving spiritGiven her at birth.But when she passed o’er the River,When from earth her soul did sever,All that she had gainedBy fulfilment of each duty,All that gave her life such beauty,All the love and all the pleasure,Every grace your soul doth treasure,All that was attained,By her, in the earth condition,Passed with her to full fruition,When to her ’twas givenO’er the Golden stair to climbUpward toward the life sublime,To the life called “Heaven.”As he spoke the cloud was riftedFrom my soul, the burden lifted,And a flood of lightFilled my soul with radiant gleaming,With a new and heavenly beamingLike a pure seraphic visionWafted from the realms elysian.Life once more seemed bright.As the flood of light rolled o’er me,Backward turned life’s page before me,Backward like a scroll.And I saw Heaven’s elevationCould be reached, but by gradation;By the growth of soul.This is what the angel taught me,This the lesson that he brought me,That to me was givenAs I sat that day aweary,In my home so dark and dreary,In my home so sad and lonely,Where so late, my child, my only,From me had been riven.Now no more in doubt and sorrowWalk I, but sweet hope I borrowFrom the lesson taught.Now I know that Heaven must everCome by earnest pure endeavor!It must be inwrought!

In my home I sat aweary,

Thinking of the life so dreary

That before me lay;

Of the life once bright and cheery,

That was now so dark and dreary,

That had been so sad and lonely,

Since my darling one, my only,

Passed from earth away;

Taking with her all the brightness,

All the joy and all the lightness,

Leaving me so lone,

That my heart could not cease moaning,

Could not cease its bitter groaning,

For my child—my own.

Thus I sat in deepest sadnessThinking of the joy and gladness,That alas! had flown;Thinking of the joy and pleasureThat she gave in such full measure,Thinking of her cheerful smiling,Of her song, the hours beguiling,And her loving tone.Till these memories o’er me throngingFilled me with intensest longingAnd I cried, “O tell!Where is heaven? and is she there?Did she climb the ‘Golden stair’?With her is it well?”

Thus I sat in deepest sadness

Thinking of the joy and gladness,

That alas! had flown;

Thinking of the joy and pleasure

That she gave in such full measure,

Thinking of her cheerful smiling,

Of her song, the hours beguiling,

And her loving tone.

Till these memories o’er me thronging

Filled me with intensest longing

And I cried, “O tell!

Where is heaven? and is she there?

Did she climb the ‘Golden stair’?

With her is it well?”

Though an angel child she seemed,Had she really been redeemed?Was she born of God?Had the blood on Calvary spilt,Made atonement for her guilt?Thus I pondered, sorely grieving,The old dogma still believing,That by Jesus’ bloodOnly, could the soul secureLife in Heaven; and was I sureThat she had believed?Though her life was pure and sweet,And she seemed for Heaven made meet,Had she been received?

Though an angel child she seemed,

Had she really been redeemed?

Was she born of God?

Had the blood on Calvary spilt,

Made atonement for her guilt?

Thus I pondered, sorely grieving,

The old dogma still believing,

That by Jesus’ blood

Only, could the soul secure

Life in Heaven; and was I sure

That she had believed?

Though her life was pure and sweet,

And she seemed for Heaven made meet,

Had she been received?

“Lord,” I cried in bitter anguish;“For some proof my soul doth languish,That in Heaven aboveWith the blest and pure ‘Immortals’Who have passed within its portals,With the pure and holy angels,She is chanting glad evangels,Chanting hymns of love.She while here, was ever singing,Her sweet tones were ever ringing,Like a silvery bell.Oh! almost beyond enduranceSeems my grief—without assuranceThat with her, ’tis well.”

“Lord,” I cried in bitter anguish;

“For some proof my soul doth languish,

That in Heaven above

With the blest and pure ‘Immortals’

Who have passed within its portals,

With the pure and holy angels,

She is chanting glad evangels,

Chanting hymns of love.

She while here, was ever singing,

Her sweet tones were ever ringing,

Like a silvery bell.

Oh! almost beyond endurance

Seems my grief—without assurance

That with her, ’tis well.”

While thus, I sat moaning, sobbing,And my burdened heart was throbbingWith its bitter grief,Suddenly a voice said near me,Child of earth, I come to cheer thee;Come to bring the words of gladness;Come to drive away the sadness;Come to bring reliefCome to tell you that your childWith her life so sweet and mild,Had a heaven on earth.And Death could not disinheritOf the pure and loving spiritGiven her at birth.

While thus, I sat moaning, sobbing,

And my burdened heart was throbbing

With its bitter grief,

Suddenly a voice said near me,

Child of earth, I come to cheer thee;

Come to bring the words of gladness;

Come to drive away the sadness;

Come to bring relief

Come to tell you that your child

With her life so sweet and mild,

Had a heaven on earth.

And Death could not disinherit

Of the pure and loving spirit

Given her at birth.

But when she passed o’er the River,When from earth her soul did sever,All that she had gainedBy fulfilment of each duty,All that gave her life such beauty,All the love and all the pleasure,Every grace your soul doth treasure,All that was attained,By her, in the earth condition,Passed with her to full fruition,When to her ’twas givenO’er the Golden stair to climbUpward toward the life sublime,To the life called “Heaven.”

But when she passed o’er the River,

When from earth her soul did sever,

All that she had gained

By fulfilment of each duty,

All that gave her life such beauty,

All the love and all the pleasure,

Every grace your soul doth treasure,

All that was attained,

By her, in the earth condition,

Passed with her to full fruition,

When to her ’twas given

O’er the Golden stair to climb

Upward toward the life sublime,

To the life called “Heaven.”

As he spoke the cloud was riftedFrom my soul, the burden lifted,And a flood of lightFilled my soul with radiant gleaming,With a new and heavenly beamingLike a pure seraphic visionWafted from the realms elysian.Life once more seemed bright.As the flood of light rolled o’er me,Backward turned life’s page before me,Backward like a scroll.And I saw Heaven’s elevationCould be reached, but by gradation;By the growth of soul.

As he spoke the cloud was rifted

From my soul, the burden lifted,

And a flood of light

Filled my soul with radiant gleaming,

With a new and heavenly beaming

Like a pure seraphic vision

Wafted from the realms elysian.

Life once more seemed bright.

As the flood of light rolled o’er me,

Backward turned life’s page before me,

Backward like a scroll.

And I saw Heaven’s elevation

Could be reached, but by gradation;

By the growth of soul.

This is what the angel taught me,This the lesson that he brought me,That to me was givenAs I sat that day aweary,In my home so dark and dreary,In my home so sad and lonely,Where so late, my child, my only,From me had been riven.Now no more in doubt and sorrowWalk I, but sweet hope I borrowFrom the lesson taught.Now I know that Heaven must everCome by earnest pure endeavor!It must be inwrought!

This is what the angel taught me,

This the lesson that he brought me,

That to me was given

As I sat that day aweary,

In my home so dark and dreary,

In my home so sad and lonely,

Where so late, my child, my only,

From me had been riven.

Now no more in doubt and sorrow

Walk I, but sweet hope I borrow

From the lesson taught.

Now I know that Heaven must ever

Come by earnest pure endeavor!

It must be inwrought!

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