188
Beware, lest Conscience, pure and bright before,
Despised too long, should raise her voice no more,
And all the tender hues of life's young day,
Before its bloom has fled, should pass away:
Jut now, with glad obedience, holy fear,
Begin to tread the path of duty here,—
And strive, from childhood's dawn till life grows dim,
To do God's will, and leave the rest to Him!
So shall ye best reward our anxious cares,—
So best fulfil our hopes, our earnest prayers,—
So prove the crown for which our hearts have yearned,
A treasure lent from God, to Him with joy returned.
Despised too long, should raise her voice no more,
And all the tender hues of life's young day,
Before its bloom has fled, should pass away:
Jut now, with glad obedience, holy fear,
Begin to tread the path of duty here,—
And strive, from childhood's dawn till life grows dim,
To do God's will, and leave the rest to Him!
So shall ye best reward our anxious cares,—
So best fulfil our hopes, our earnest prayers,—
So prove the crown for which our hearts have yearned,
A treasure lent from God, to Him with joy returned.
E.
Easter, 1846.
