p. 3 | AS THE MORNING by Fannie Bolton

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Oct 23, 1893

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 19, No. 50.

"AS THE MORNING."

By Fannie Bolton

BY FANNIE BOLTON.

["Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord; his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth." Hos. 6:3.]

THE shading of the dawn comes gradually, Now a soft gray tinting the dark, and now The lightening and lifting of the night, And now a tender brooding of the morn, And now a cloud lit with a delicate ray, And penciled with a streak of gold and rose, And now a rapid painting of the sky With hues most glorious, and now again An atmosphere world wide of throbbing glow, And then the glistening grass dew scintillant, And freshening flowers that swing sweet incense out, And now a twittering chorus, grown at length To full-piped orchestra of throbbing praise.

So comes the morning, and his goings forth, The Sun of Righteousness, is like to this. First some sweet hint of love, so faint it is It scarce seems like the lighting of our gloom, Then some revealing of a tenderer thought, Then some bright penciling of some dark cloud, Then all the clouds lit with unblemished joy, Then a full heaven of everlasting love, God in the zenith of the sky, full orbed, With healing rays, and then, O matchless love! We see that through the night, when all seemed lost, His love was active for our good, as when The dew was gathering thick upon the grass, And perfumed kisses weighed the roses down. Yea, all night long his tenderness distilled, His wings were o'er the sparrow in the nest, His brooding love was over all the world. His dew was on our branch when all seemed dead, And kept fresh lilies for the opening day, And brought new roses for our empty hands, And filled our hearts with new sweet songs of praise.

O Sun of Righteousness with healing wings, Rise o'er us as the morning evermore, Till through the night we may with smiles look up, And know thy dew is falling and thy rose Is folding for its opening at the day; Till through the night we yet may gladly turn To the still east, and say, "Though night is long, The Sun of Righteousness will surely rise." And as the morning, so his going forth Shall surely be; and as we hope, behold! The first sweet beam of healing light shall come; And as we praise, the Sun of Love shall rise, And night be banished 'neath his healing wings.