Chapter VI: Venite Ad Me Omnes

--_Matt._ xi. 28.

“Come to Me, heavy-laden ones, come all!”
I hear, I rise, I hasten at His call;
’Neath burden bent, across the threshold steal,
The curtain lift, and in His Presence kneel:
There loose my load--and wide,
With none to check nor chide,
Scattering, a sorry sight, on every side,

They fall--pains, troubles, cares--lying, how meet,
About the weary, way-worn, wounded Feet;
Under the Eye of yore bedimmed with tears,
The Heart Gethsemane oppressed with fears,
The Heart that sore afraid
Strong supplication made,
And with a sweat of blood the Father prayed.

Beneath His glance, as snow ’neath sunny ray,
Some of my cares dissolve and melt away,
And some He takes and smoothes a little space
The less to chafe, and lays again in place.
’Tis mystery to me
How some He smiles to see,
And how on some His tears fall tenderly.

One I hold up to Him, and pleading pray,
“This, Lord, just this, in pity take away!”
And ever comes His word with cheering smile:
“A little longer, trust Me yet awhile;
Each pang of keen distress,
Each prayer, I mark and bless,
Each in its hour shall show forth fruitfulness”.

_That_, my life’s woe, against a bleeding Side
Is pressed, and lo! transfigured, glorified,
It glows as crystal flushed with rosy ray.
“O gem unprized! Restore it, Lord, I pray;
As costly gift from Thee
Dear shall it be to me”;
And in my heart I hide it lovingly.

A lightened load He lays on me, all sweet
With words of love--and thus I leave His Feet,
With steadier step to plod on day by day,
With stouter heart to climb the upward way;
And when anew life’s strain
Frets me with weary pain,
I take my load and go to Him again.