shall say?
Our God is just, but do His grace and power
Descend on recreants with equal shower?
On darkened souls His flame of light He turns,
Yet flame neglected soon but faintly burns,
And dying embers fade to ashes cold
If we the heart His spirit wooes withhold.
Great Heaven retains the fire no longer sought,
While ashes turn to dust, and dust to naught.
His holy baptism He bids thee seek,
Neglect the call, and the desire grows weak.
Ah! whilst from woman's breast thou heedst the sighs,
The flame first flickers, then, untended--dies!

POLY.
You know me ill,--'tis mine, that holy fire,
Fed, not extinguished, by unslaked desire
Her tears--I view them with a lover's eye;
And yet your Christ is mine--a Christian I!
The healing, cleansing flood o'er me shall flow,
I would efface the stain from birth I owe;
I would be pure--my sealed eyes would see!
The birthright Adam lost restored to me
This, this, the unfading crown! For this I yearn,
For that exhaustless fount I thirst, I burn.
Then, since my heart is true, Nearchus, say--
Shall I not grant to pity this delay?

NEAR.
So doth the ghostly foe our souls abuse,
And all beyond his force he gains by ruse;
He hates the purpose fast he cannot foil,--
Then he retreats--retreats but to recoil!
In endless barricade obstruction piles,
To-day 'tis tears impede, to-morrow--smiles!
And this poor dream--his coinage of the night
Gives place to other lures, all falsely bright:
All tricks he knows and uses--threats and prayers
Attacks in parley--as the Parthian dares.
In chain unheeded weakest link must fail,
So fortress yet unwon he'll mount and scale.
O break his bonds! Let feeble woman weep!
The heart that God has touched 'tis God must keep!
Who looks behind to dally with his choice
When Heaven demands--obeys another voice!

POLY.
Who loves thy Christ--say, must he love no other?

NEAR.
He may--he must! 'Tis Christ says, "Love thy brother,"
Yet on the altar of the Heavenly King
No rival place, no alien incense fling!
Through Him--by Him--for Him--all goodness know!
'Tis from the source alone each stream must flow.
To please Him, wife, and wealth, and rank, and state
Must be forsaken--strait the heavenly gate.