he oven, now, say, shall he not rather
Still of His goodness clothe you, O ye of little faith?

"Consider the fowls of the air, behind your harrows;
They plough not, they reap not, nor gather grain away,
Yet your Heavenly Father cares for them; then, if he feed the sparrows,
Shall He not rather feed you, His children, day by day?"

THE GOOD PHYSICIAN

To find Him they flock, young and old, from their cities,
With hearts full of hope: for the tidings had spread:
"The proud He rebukes and the poorest He pities,
Recovers the leper, upraises the dead."

So the shepherd has left his sheep lone on the mountain,
The woodman his axe buried fast in the pine,
The maiden her pitcher half-filled at the fountain,
The housewife her loom and the fisher his line.

With their babes on their bosoms, their sick on their shoulders,
Toilsomely thronging by footpath and ford,
Now resting their burthens among the rude boulders,
Still they come climbing in search of the Lord.

Until on the Mount, with the morn they have found Him--
Christ, the long sought--they have found Him at length,
With their sick and their stricken, in faith they flock round Him,
As sighing He looks up to Heaven for strength.

He has touched the deaf ears and the blind eyes anointed--
And straightway they hear Him and straightway they see;
Laid hands on the lame and they leap, supple-jointed,
The devils denounced and affrighted they flee.

Yea? for their faith, from each life-long affliction,
Yea, for their faith from their sins they are freed,
And therefore have earned His divine benediction--

* * * * *

Stretch forth Thy hand, for as sore is our need.

Lord! we are deaf, we are dumb, lost in blindness,
Lepers and lame and by demons possessed!
Lord, we are dead! of Thine infinite kindness
Restore us, redeem! bear us home on Thy breast.

THE SOWER

A Sower went forth to sow,
But His seed on the wayside showered;
A bird-flock out of the air flashed low
And the goodly grain devoured.

A Sower went forth to sow,
O'er hid rocks plying his toil;
The seed leaped up at the warm sun's glow,
But withered for lack of soil.

A Sower went forth to sow,
And his seed took steadfast root;
But flaming poppies and thorns in row
Sprang up and strangled the fruit.

A Sower we