Cast your bread on the waters; obey the command,--
The Lord will restore it; His promise will stand;
Who give unto these, in the name of the Lord,
A cup of cold water, shall have their reward.

THE MARRIAGE VOWS.

COMPOSED TO BE SUNG ON A WEDDING OCCASION, AUGUST 1ST, 1847

O 'tis an interesting sight,
When youthful hands and hearts unite!
The Lord himself was pleas'd to own
That man should never dwell alone.

A rib he took from Adam's side,
And from it made a blooming bride;
In Eden's bowers he placed the pair,--
Then joined their hands in wedlock there.

The nuptial ties by God were bound,
While angels chanted anthems 'round;
Then mounting on swift pinions sang,
Till heaven's high arch with music rang.

The Lord is present still to hear,--
The words you breathed have reached his ear;
And his recording angel, now,
Is writing down the marriage vow.

Wilt thou, the bridegroom, till the end,
Still prove the fair one's faithful friend,
Who leaves her childhood's happy home,
With thee through future life to roam?

She trusts her fragile bark with thee,--
O steer it well o'er life's rough sea.
And with an undivided heart,
Wilt thou, fair maiden, act thy part?

As pure let thine affections be,
As those white robes now worn by thee;
O keep the sacred holy trust,
Till these fair forms turn back to dust.

On seraph wings then may you soar,
Where friends are never parted more;
There with the Lord may each reside,
And Jesus own you as his bride.

LINES

WRITTEN UPON THE DEATH OF MISS ELLEN N ... OF JAY.

ADDRESSED TO HER RELATIVES.

Ye gaze upon that fair young brow,
Where death's pale shade is resting now;--
Well, well may grief suffuse your eyes,--
Yet let no murm'ring thought arise,
To stain with guilt affection's tear,
Which falls upon the loved one's bier.
Tears are the antidote of grief,--
Kind nature sends them for relief.
While death a prisoner Lazarus kept,
The Son of God stood by and wept;--
And, father, here are tears for thee,
The babe that prattled on thy knee,
And grew in beauty by thy side,
Till warm affection's glowing tide
Gushed from the fountain in thy breast,
To cherish her who made thee blest.
But now, to thee no more appears
This light of thy declining years;
No more her smile brings joy to the