TWILIGHT VISIONS.
“At evening time there shall be light.”
—Zech. xiv., 7.
The day’s work done, I cast my pen aside
And rose, with aching eye and troubled brain,
Thinking how oft my fellow workers here
Have suffered in the flesh for labours wrought
In love to all mankind; and how the world
Cares nought for words which teach not of itself;
For to the world, itself is all in all,
And nought outside it can the world conceive
As real and true. And yet this earth must cease
To be for ever to each mortal, when
The Spirit casts off earth, and, in new life
Will feel and know the world to be the vale
Of deathly shadows compass’d round about
With ignorance and error, sin and crime,
With yearnings, longings, miseries, and griefs,
And all that makes the “Breath of Lives” to seem
As Angels wrestling with the powers of hell.
* * * *
A gentle Spirit with the twilight came
And rested on my soul; then hope with peace,
Long since to me as strangers, touched my heart,
And, sitting at the organ, soft and sweet
There streamed a flow of harmony, tho’ I
Scarce seemed to touch the keys, yet simple hymns
Called forth a train of Spirits bright and young,
Amongst them saw I all that I had known
And loved in days when life seem’d sweet to me.
I was a child again, and saw myself
As such—no aching eye—no troubled brain
Had that young being who in faith and hope
Sang songs of holiness, of peace and truth—
There, resting on his Mother’s breast, with arms
Clasped round her neck, with loving eyes that watched
The loving face, whereon a parent’s smile
Was ever present in the days now past,
Now buried in the dust with former things.
* * * *
In saddened notes swelled forth “Thy will be done!”
And then appeared a radiant spirit form
Of one who, as a babe, was called away,
From out this world of wretchedness and sin.
An infant—which scarce breathed upon the earth
Ere God, in His great mercy, took her home
To dwell with Him, and she, an Angel bless’d,
Now looks in pity on her parents here,
A weeping witness of the vacant lives
Which in the world their souls are forced to pass
As, hung’ring for the love of One in heaven
They stagger on from day to day in doubt—
In misery, which none but they can know.
* * * *
Some cursed bonds can ne’er be snapped in twain,
Save death or sin alone be brought to bear
To shatter human customs hard and vile,
And false and horrible as hell itself.
For man exists in darkness, bound by laws
Which curse and damn his very soul on earth;
Mankind will not accept the Master’s words
Or listen to His cry within the soul.
And so the world in falsehood wanders on
And dooms the inner Man of Light again
To suffer crucifixion in the flesh;
The Trinity—of Wisdom, Love and Truth—
The Christ, is absent from this “Christian” World
And ignorance with hatred lies and sin
Reign rampant in their infidel abode.
* * * *
“Abide with me, fast falls the eventide.”
O Lord! we suff’ring mortals here on earth
Have nought but Thee, Thou Guide of all mankind
To lead us in our wand’rings, and to turn
Our falt’ring footsteps from the way of death;
Thy Angels true are sent to fainting souls,
And lovingly their voices soft are heard
Peace! troubled hearts, hereafter all shall be
Made up in heaven. Know that sufferings
Are sent in love that we may minister,
To all your needs, and bear you safely home
To that good land ordained for all mankind—
The kingdom bright—of happiness and love,
Whereon your lives shall ever be a rest
In one long summer day of light and joy.
No mortal e’er can comprehend the peace
Of God, which shall be yours, when, from the world
Your glorious inner beings stand apart
For ever! Soon shall you know all that we
Would tell you now—yet hope and struggle on.
“At evening time there shall be Light! and then—
The Living Light shall lead you home to God,
Home to the place which He hath made,—’tis yours
For ever! We are sent to tell you this
And by the Mighty One we do not lie!
* * * *
“O Glorious Angels of our Loving God!
Pray tell us if this land, we fain would know,
Contains the dear ones we have loved on earth?
For what were heaven e’en to us, if we
Could nevermore be all in all to those
Who when on earth were all in all to us!”[us!”]
A voice replied—’twas one I oft have heard
And learned to love with more than mortal love,
“Look up, my own! and see me with thee now
For ever on this earth. If then ’tis so,
How canst thou think that I shall ever be
Apart from thee in heav’n—the land of love
Wherein alone life’s consummation finds
A fullness in its own eternal self?
For God is all—thus He is life and love
And love eternal is the power that welds
Each atom in the universal chain
Of infinite expanse throughout the skies—
Which ever shows to godly men on earth
The Power of powers that reigneth over all!”[all!”]
* * * *
Then in the gloom a glorious form appeared,
And, standing by my side, it pressed its lips
Upon the troubled brow which none could calm
On earth, save she who was beside me then.
And so an Angel from our loving God
Came down to comfort, in the eventide—
To show, by light of love, God’s holy truth,
Which from the world—in darkness—hath been hid
Because the world in darkness will exist,
And, living thus, man sins against himself
And so against his loving God of Life.
The promised Light appeared at evening time,
And by its living rays did I perceive—
Mankind to wander on in sin and shame;
Thus HELL prevails to-day where heaven should be....
Wm. C. Eldon Serjeant.
London, 6th December, 1887.