WHO WOULD NOT BE A CHRISTIAN?
Who would not be a Christian? I have seen
Men shrinking from the term, as if it brought
A charge against them! Yet the honored name
Is full of gentlest meaning. Colors rise,
And beauty floats around it; from its eyes
Great tears of heavenly sympathy descend;
And mercy, soft as Hermon's fragrant dew,
Springs in its heart, and from its lips distil. I've seen it press an infant to its breast,
And kiss away his troubles; seen it take
An old gray-headed man, oppressed with years,
And wrinkled o'er with sorrow, and disclose
A prospect to his vision, which hath made
The old man sing with gladness; seen it lay
Its soft hand gently on the blind and lame,
And lead them safely home; and seen it stoop
To the vile outcasts of society,
Whose character was odious, in the streets,
And bring them back to virtue and to God. Hark! 'tis the loftiest name the language bears,
And all the languages in all the world
Have none sublimer! It relates to Christ,
And breathes of God and holiness; suggests
The virtues of humanity, adorned
By the rich graces of the Holy Ghost,
To fit them for the Paradise on high,
Where angels dwell, and perfect manhood shines
In the clear lustre of redeeming love,
For ever and for ever; and implies
A Son and Heir of the Eternal God!