Poems of Nathaniel Parker Willis Author:Nathaniel Parker Willis Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: ON THE DEPARTURE OF REV. MR. WHITE FROM HIS PARISH, WHEN CHOSEN PRESIDENT OF WABA8H COLLEGE. EE AVE us not, man of prayer! Like Paul, hast " Served God wit... more »h all humility of mind," [thou Dwelling among us, and " with many tears," " From house to house," " by night and day not ceas- Hast pleaded thy blest errand. Leave us not! [ing," Leave us not now! The Sabbath-bell, so long Link'd with thy voice—the prelude to thy prayer— The call to us from heaven to come with thee Into the house of God, and, from thy lips, Hear what had fall'n upon thy heart—will sound Lonely and mournfully when thou art gone! Our prayers are in thy words—our hope in Christ Warm'd on thy lips—our darkling thoughts of God Follow'd thy loved call upward—and so knit Is all our worship with those outspread hands, And the imploring voice, which, well we knew, Sank in the ear of Jesus—that, with thee, The angel's ladder seems removed from sight, And we astray in darkness! Leave us not! Leave not the dead! They have lain calmly down— Thy comfort in their ears—believing well That when thine own more holy work was dont Thou wouldst lie down beside them, and be near When the last trump shall summon, to fold up Thy flock affrighted, and, with that same voice "Whose whisper'd promises could sweeten death, Take up once more the interrupted strain, And wait Christ's coming, saying, " Here am I, And those whom thou hast given me!" Leave not The old, who, 'mid the gathering shadows, cling To their accustom'd staff, and know not how To lose thee, and so near the darkest hour! Leave not the penitent, whose soul may be Deaf to the strange voice, but awake to thine! Leave not the mourner thou hast sooth'd—the heart Turns to its comforter again ! Leave not The child thou hast baptized! another's care May not keep brig...« less