Nancy Campbell Glass

"Abide with us!" Where could we go?
Thou art our strength, thou art our tower,
Our refuge from the ills below,
In darkness light, in weakness power.

"Abide with us!" We would prevail,
And plead that thou be ever near
To banish doubts when they assail,
And give deliverance from fear.

"Abide with us" in words of love,
For thou dost say, "Come unto me."
Oh, guide us to thy home above
To dwell in joy and peace with thee!

Genesis 28:10-22.


The sun had set. He was alone;
Mid twilight shadows he would rest.
He laid his head upon a stone
To woo sweet slumber for his guest.

Perhaps within those midnight hours
His rugged bed was cold and chill,
But wrapped in Dreamland's mystic powers,
He knew no danger, felt no ill.

A vision in his dreams appeared!
Angels were stepping to and fro
Upon a ladder which, upreared,
Aided their ministry below.

And then God spake in words which said
What future ages would unfold,
The soil on which he made his bed
Was his, by prophecy foretold.

He further heard that holy voice
Predict that through his tribe would be
Blessings in which all should rejoice,
Blessings which all the world should see.
...

Ye realms of beauty from afar,
What speak ye to the saddened soul?
What is the message of each star
As ever ceaselessly ye roll?
Thus do ye answer: "We declare
God's glory; and to you 'tis given
To cast on him your every care,
For he hath wound the clock of heaven."

Ye hoary hills which have looked down
On all the centuries of time,
Have felt their touch without a frown,
And with indifference sublime,
What would ye speak, if understood,
Of life with all its woes and ills?
'Tis this: to all they work for good
Who love the maker of the hills.

When April weeps, she wakes the flowers
That slept the winter through.
Oh, did they dream those frosty hours
That she would be untrue
And not awaken them in time
To smile their smiles of love,
To hear the robin's merry chime,
And gentle cooing dove?

And when they feel their mother's tears
So gently o'er them weep,
Will they tell her of their simple fears
And visions while asleep?
And will they tell her that they dreamed,
Beneath their sheets of snow,
Such weary dreamings that it seemed
The winter ne'er would go?

They'll soon be wide-awake and up,
In dainty robes arrayed,
Blue violet, gold buttercup,
And quaker-lady staid.
Wild eglantine and clustering thorn
Will grace the byway lanes,
Whilst woodland flowers the dells ...

All my ways are before thee. Psalm 119:168.


Awake, O soul, awake!
Enter thy cell of thought,
And there in calmness meditate
On what God's word has taught.

There's nought within thy scope,
No influence thou hast sown,
No gloomy doubt, no joyful hope,
But unto him are known.

Awake! but grovel not
In ashes of despair,
Christ's precious blood can cleanse each spot;
Cast on him every care.

Before him are thy ways,
But in his mercy free
He further yet his love displays,
And intercedes for thee.

Awake to holy fear
And praise thy God on high;
Be it thy joy to praise him here
And praise him in the sky.

"What means this throng?" a blind man said,
Whilst begging by the highway side;
Begging and blind, and lacking bread,
His ears discern the living tide.
"Jesus of Nazareth passeth by,"
Was answered. Had he heard aright?
Oh, was the heavenly healer nigh,
He who could give the blind their sight?
"Jesus, have mercy!" lo, he cried,
"Oh, son of David, pity me!"
And when the jeering crowd deride,
His accents form a clearer plea.
Jesus stood still. A kindly voice
Bade him good cheer "He calleth thee."
Thus must his lonely heart rejoice,
"He thinks of me; yes, even me!"
Bartimæus found the Living Light
Who asked and granted his request.
His blinded eyes received their sight;
With joy he followed with the rest.
How oft when Jesus passes by,
The ...

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea. Matthew 2:1.


Bethlehem, where Christ was born,
Bethlehem, the Christian's star!
Bethlehem's prophetic morn
Echoed ages from afar.
Where the shepherds heard the song
Heralding the holy birth,
Tidings that would right the wrong,
News of joy from heaven to earth.

This the song the angels sang:
"Peace on earth, good will to men."
Glory in the highest rang,
Glory now and glory then.
Christ, the king of earth and heaven,
Gave himself to cleanse our sin;
Through his blood we are forgiven
And eternal life may win.

Come to him with every woe;
He has said, "Come unto me."
Better refuge none can know
Whither to safely, gladly flee.
Well may hallelujahs ring
O'er Go...

"Come unto me!" Ah, gentlest word
E'er breathed in human ear!
"I am thy Savior and thy Lord;
Dear child, thou need'st not fear.

"Come unto me in sorrow's hour
When life seems dark and drear;
I'll shield thee from the tempter's power;
Dear child, thou need'st not fear.

"Come unto me when hopes have flown
Like leaves wind-swept and sere,
When every joy thou may'st bemoan;
Dear child, thou need'st not fear.

"Come unto me. I'll give thee rest,
Will wipe away each tear;
Come lean thy head upon my breast;
Dear child, thou need'st not fear."

Until the day break, and the shadows flee away. Song of Solomon 4:6.


Gleaming softly, silvery-faint,
Heralded by chanticleer,
Merging from night's shadowy taint,
New day of the passing year!

Born to bless or born to blight,
Born for you and born for me,
Leaving, ere it take its flight,
Impress on eternity!

'Tis a gift from God's own hand.
On its pure unsullied page
Let us write at his command
What will bless our pilgrimage.

True repentance giveth joy
To the angels in the sky.
What could be more blest employ
Than to cheer the choirs on high?

Deeds of patience, deeds of love,
Banishing all hate and guile
These will steer toward heaven above,
These will make the angels smile.

May this child...

Eve must have wept to leave her flowers,
And plucked some roots to tell
Of Eden's happy, sinless bowers,
Where she in bliss did dwell.

Roses and lilies, pansies gay,
Violets with azure eyes,
Her favorites must have been, for they
Seem born in paradise.

And when they drooped, did she not sigh
And kiss their petals fair,
Thinking, "Alas, ye too must die
And in our sorrow share"?

And then perhaps unto her soul
This answer sweet was given,
"Like you we fade and perish here;
For you we'll bloom in heaven."

Roses and lilies are the type
Of him who from above,
The lamb of God, gave up his life,
A sacrifice of love.

He was her hope in those sad hours
Of blight and sure decay;
The sin that drove her from her f...

Go, wander, little book,
Nor let thy wand'ring cease;
May all who on these pages look
From sin find sweet release,

Through Christ, God's holy son,
Who left his throne in heaven
And e'en death's anguish did not shun
That we might be forgiven.

How should our thoughts and deeds
Exalt this mighty friend,
Who died, yet lives and intercedes
And loves us to the end!

Upon time's surging, billowy sea
A ship now slowly disappears,
With freight no human eye can see,
But weighing just one hundred years.

Their sighs, their tears, their weary moans,
Their joy and pleasure, pomp and pride,
Their angry and their gentle tones,
Beneath its waves forever hide.

Yes, sunk within oblivion's waves,
They'll partly live in memory;
To youth, who will their secrets crave,
Mostly exist in history.

Ah, what a truth steps in this strain
They are not lost within time's sea;
Their words and actions live again,
And blight or light eternity!

A new ship comes within our view,
Laden with dreams both sad and blest;
To youth they're tinged with roseate hue;
To weary ones bring longed-for rest.

And still...

Grace be with them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Ephesians 6:24.


Thou saddened one whose longing eyes
Seek quickening thoughts to glean,
Whose views of Christ, the Heavenly prize,
Clouds often veer between,
That rapture which may be expressed
By others constantly
Is not thine own; in truth confessed,
Where is the mystery?

Ask now these questions of thy soul:
My heart, is it sincere?
Do I his holy name extol,
And is He truly dear?
Like Peter can I, too, record
And urge his earnest plea,
"Thou knowest all things, gracious Lord;
Thou knowest I love Thee"?

There is no music like his voice:
To this can'st thou attest?
No message makes thee so rejoice
As "Come to me and rest"?
If there's been le...

Seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:25.


When winding up the path of life,
Sometimes mid thorns, sometimes mid flowers,
Oft weary of its toil and strife,
Oft weary of its wintry hours,
There is one thought than all more sweet
From care my longing heart to free;
'Tis this oh, wondrous to repeat
That Jesus intercedes for me.

And always when the path is steep,
I cling unto this wayside rope:
Nothing can give so great relief,
Nothing can give a brighter hope.
'Tis like a stately spreading palm,
Which forms my spirit's canopy,
'Neath which I breathe the soothing balm
That Jesus intercedes for me.

And when I reach the sea of death,
To sail its silent waters o'er,
This thought shall calm my lates...

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8.


Christ might have called the angels down
To bear him safe above,
To shield his brow from sorrow's crown,
From death's cold blight, and bitter frown,
Had it not been for love.

Our glorious King, our Prince of Peace,
Has left his throne above
To give our souls from sin release,
To make our pain and anguish cease,
And all because of love.

By faith in him, we all may see
In realms of light above,
Through streams of blood on Calvary,
A joyful immortality;
The purchase price was love.

And Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna and many others who ministered unto him of their substance. Luke 8:3. Mark 14:3-9. John 12:3-8. Matthew 26:6-13. Luke 7:37-50. John 11:3.


Those women who their Christ and Lord
Aided by gentle ministry,
Have gained their race a rich reward,
Treasured in sacred history.

Joanna is unknown at court,
Although entitled to be there;
The record of her life's report
In fadeless glory has its share.

Susanna's name is intertwined,
A gem as sparkling and as clear
As those with which it is enshrined;
And this is all we know of her.

And those whose names have not been given
Are now in realms of light and love,
Praising him mid the choirs of heaven,
Crowned with his joy and peace...

"Childhood and youth are vanity."


Often o'er life's pathway straying
Come sweet strains of long ago,
To the chords of memory playing
Music sweet and music low.

When upon the gray rock musing
'Neath the tree by childhood's home,
In the wild bird's note so soothing
Tenderly these strains will come.

Gazing on the deep fringed mountain,
Distance robing it in blue,
Quaffing the familiar fountain,
Each repeats the story too.

Wandering by the streamlet flowing
Where we played in hours of glee,
Hear its murmurs coming, going,
Tell of joys that used to be.

Wandering in the leafy wildwood
Sometimes in our leisure hours,
In the sunny days of childhood
How much fairer seemed its flowers!

Watching from the ...

We traveled by a mountain's edge,
It was September calm and bright,
Nature had decked its rocky ledge
With flowers of varied hue and height.
It seemed a miracle that they
Should flourish in that meager soil,
As noble spirits oftenest may
Gleam forth through poverty and toil.

Below were rippling, sparkling streams
Through meadows kissed by shadowy hills,
Reflecting autumn's peaceful dreams
Within those swift, translucent rills.
This lesson should these scenes impart
As on the road of life we go,
To do our duty and take heart,
As flowers bloom and streamlets flow.

Perhaps in ages yet to be
May flowers wave here e'en as today,
These streams still rush in merry glee
To cheer and charm who here may stray;
But we upon Time's rapid tid...