To The Rev. John James Poem by Janet Hamilton

On His Going Out To Canada

Arise, for this is not thy rest; go forth
And brave the frozen rigours of the north;
Though cold the clime, the hearts are warm and true,
That prompt the genuine welcome waiting you.
May He, whom even the winds and waves obey,
Thee safe across the wint'ry seas convey;
And though the angry ocean roll and swell,
May peace divine within thy bosom dwell;
And thou a sore-tossed barque, the tempest past,
Find a quiet haven of repose at last.
A door is shut-a more effectual door
May open to thee-to be shut no more
By men, who strain at gnats, and swallow camels,
And clog the preached Word with useless trammels;
Who, while they anise, mint, and cumin gather,
Prefer Church etiquette, light as a feather
With weightier matters of the law compared,
Even judgment, mercy, truth! Ah, thou hast shared
The woes of hope deferred, but not the woe
Of those who said, Ah! we would have it so.
Well, they have had their way; it little mattered
To them that thus the little flock was scattered-
The fold shut up-the shepherd gone away-
The flock dispersed. What need we more to say?
My friend, may God thy refuge be and strength,
In all thy wanderings guide thee, till at length
He bring thee, by His providential grace,
Through fire and water to a wealthy place.
The partner of thy cares, thy hope, thy life,
Thy loved, thy tried, thy true and suffering wife,
And all the youthful loving ones that cling
Around her knees, may God in safety bring
Soon to the father's clasping arms again,
United in one home beyond the main.
Though strong the filial ties that bind thy heart,
The hour is come, again thou must depart;
The parent's blessing, and their last farewell
Shall long in memory's sacred records dwell.
'Tis sad to part with those who have with thee
Lain in the bosom, smiled upon the knee
Of one fond mother. From the womb of time
May spring a blest reunion; every clime,
Earth's utmost bounds, in all beneath the sky,
His presence, power, and love are ever nigh.


Farewell! my friend, farewell! in all thy ways
Commit thyself to Him; thou yet shall praise
Him for the way he led thee. To the end
His presence go with thee. Farewell, my friend!