"AT EVENING TIME IT SHALL BE LIGHT."
By J. W. Scoles
To us is not at all times given the power
To comprehend the purposes of God;
Nor is it often in affliction's hour
That we can bless the hand that holds the rod.
We bear our burdens through the gathering darkness—
Our brightest moments tinged with sadness seem,
While in our onward march we pause to question,
Is this life all, and is it but a dream? How tenderly and truly floats the answer
Down from the dewy years of olden time!
How sweet upon our ears the words of promise!
How bright, by faith, the future scene sublime!
And though our waiting hearts grow faint with longing,
We catch, amid the gloom, this promise bright
As bow of peace upon the storm-cloud's bosom—
God says: "At evening time it shall be light." Earth's fairest joys at best are only fleeting;
The brightest flowers bloom but to decay;
With chill foreboding in our hearts at greeting,
We part to meet no more on earth for aye.
But though we know not what may lie before us,
We know God surely doeth all things right;
We'll trust him for his guidance ever o'er us,
And sing, "At evening time it shall be light." What matter then though we at times grow weary,
Why should we shrink from duty's post away?
What should we care though earth seems dark and dreary?
There's rest and peace beyond the gates of day.
The shadows of this earthly day of sorrow
Are falling fast; the near approaching night
Proclaims the ushering in of that glad morrow,
And then, "At evening time it shall be light!"
—Spokane Falls, Washington Territory.