ENOCH

“And Enoch walked with God;
and he was not, for God took him.” (Genesis 5:24)

Oh! words of holy import! sink ye deep
Within my spirit; never more to sleep!
But lead me to the path his steps have trod,—
My soul pursue him in his walk with God.
Thus let me wander, till the road I sought
(So beautiful by every hallowed thought,
By every fancied dream of holy love)
Would tempt all other feet that way to rove!

I see him first in youthful vigour stand,
When Fancy calls him to her golden land,
When dreams of loveliness so haunt his mind
That earth seems cold—her children all unkind;
‘Tis then he speaks—no other form is near;
He listens—yet no human voice I hear;
He smiles—and joy is beaming in his eye;
He “walks with God,” his commune is on high.

I see him next in manhood; and I trace
A firmer piety, maturer grace,
As upwards on the mountain’s brow he treads
With step secure; for ‘tis his God who leads;
And, trusting to his Maker’s guiding hand,
It matters not to him where’er he stand:
Not solitary he, while One so near
To his most secret wishes bends an ear.
He looks around, and words with musings blend,
“These works are Thine, my Father and my Friend!
Ah! let me gaze on every hillock green,
And feel Thy presence near me, Thou unseen:
Let me descend the valley; every blade
Of verdant grass by Thine own fingers made,
And every flow’ret sparkling in the dew
Radiant beneath Thy hand, divine they grew.”
Thus on he walks; no step so free, so calm,
As his who leans upon a heavenly arm.

Again, I see him stand amid the storm;
Harmless it beats against his unmoved form:
Erect in sudden stillness; as some rock
Braving the thunderbolt’s terrific shock;
But not with pride he stands now void of fear,
He listens to the voice of Heaven so near;
And nearer now it comes—‘tis still the same,
Tho’ thunder is its breath, tho’ lightning’s flame
Cleaves the dull air, how oft in varied tone
He utters it, the only Blessed One;
He smiles,—all nature waits upon that smile!
‘Twas only sunshine hidden for a while.

Once more I looked—the man of God was gone!
Yet still the path he trod before me shone:
’Twas a long path of rugged steep and plain,
O’ershadowed here and there by mist and rain;
But thro’ it ran one long and trackless light,
Which seemed to grow beneath my dazzling sight,
Mingling within the light he worshipped; so
He followed God; and thus did Enoch go:
His days were ended, yet death dared not come,
“He walked with God,” and God did take him home.

ELIJAH.

“But he (Elijah) himself went a day’s journey in the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am not better than my fathers. And, as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him; and said unto him, Arise, and eat. And he looked, and behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head, and he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise, and eat, because the journey is too great for thee.” (1 Kings 19:4-7)

“And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, which parted them both assunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.” (2 Kings 2:11)

Thou child of God! oh, be it thine to know—
Though sad thy lot, though deep soe’er thy wo,
Though desolate thy path, though weak and lone—
Thy God regards thee, for thou art his own.
Angels are round thee when thou art most drear;
Thy tears they see, thy faintest sighs they hear;
They leave their heavenly Paradise above,
To aid thee with their presence and their love.

There is no spot so sacred, none so blest,
As that whereon the holy people rest.
In grief Elijah laid his weary head
Beneath a tree; when near his lonely bed
A beauteous presence stands, whose radiant form,
Like a bright rainbow after heavy storm,
Betokens peace; so, most serenely bright,
His soul is touched with pure, benignant light.

The lovely form! the mild, majestic mien!
In which a tender sympathy is seen.
“Arise, and eat; the journey is too great,
Thy patience fails thee, trust in God and wait!”
Thus felt, thus looked the messenger divine,
While soft compassion in his face did shine.

Beloved of God! thou dost not comprehend
Thy sacred mission and thy glorious end.
Oh, Israel! seek to know, and thou wilt find
Thy God in every breeze, in every wind.
Like thee, Elijah, was sent forth to prove
“The Lord is God,” and none but He above;
Like thee, Elijah, was oppressed by foes,
With none but God to cling to in his woes;
Like thee, he was discouraged and distressed,
But with His faith, like him thou wouldst he blest.
Oh, wondrous faith! when earth and heaven are thine,
When barren rocks and caves with beauty shine!

Elijah rose; again erect he stands,
And eats the food prepared by angels’ hands;
With heavenly might imbued, he walks along,
And sighs are changed to most melodious song.
How wonderful God’s dealings with his own!
That “still, small voice,”^[1] Cf. 1 Kings 19:11-13.  that most angelic tone,
Seemed to Elijah too divinely sweet
To sound on earth, for mortal ear to meet.

He hides his face; but ah! not yet is come
That glorious transit to the prophet’s home.
O child of God! afflicted, think of this,
A day awaits thee, ‘tis a day of bliss,
When God decides if earth or heaven shall be
The fittest place of happiness for thee.
A thousand chariots at his bidding rise
To bear thee up in triumph to the skies;
A thousand “ministers of flaming fire,”^[2] Psalms 4:4 
Who wing their way through heaven at his desire.
See, where it comes, the fiery coursers fly,
The gorgeous car is riding through the sky;
His angels, breathless, stand and take their post,
To greet Elijah ‘mongst the heavenly host.
Hark! ’tis shout of triumph! glory shone
A momentary blaze, and he is gone!