p. 1 | THE WEB OF LIFE by Mrs. M. J. Smith

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Apr 17, 1879

THE WEB OF LIFE.

By Mrs. M. J. Smith

Oh! strange web of life, I would loose thee to-night, And lay down the shuttle and rest for awhile; For the thread I fill in maketh shadows too dark, And the warp and the woof shrinks with tears—all the while.

I cannot let go, but the web of the past, I loose from the beam with a tremulous hand; There's a quiver and thrill at my heart as I gaze, And see how uneven the figures are planned.

Oh! strange web of life, in childhood so bright, So filled with the promise of beautiful things, So evenly woven while guarded by love, Ere time hurried child-hood away on his wings.

How memory's doors are unlocking to-night, The past with its joy and its sorrow appears; Where blessing and prayer and hope all unite, But threads that were golden, are cankered by tears,

What beautiful hope has been woven in here, What holy resolves are clustering there; How even again is the ground-work of life, How soon overlapped by the thread of despair.

Oh! hands e'er so tired, thou canst not lay down The shuttle that filleth thy life-web so fast; It seemeth not well to grow weary at noon, And willing aside all thy duties to cast.

Weave in good resolves with more beautiful hope, With faith in God's promises toil with thy might; With Christ to assist thee thy fingers may yet, Weave a glorious web ere the coming of night. MRS. M. J. SMITH. Washington Heights, Ill.