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'
Lead us, Shepherd true ;
202 DARKNESS AND DAWN
through this Babylon, and have seen all the splendour of her
merchandise, as of Tyrus in old days, and amid it all slaves
and souls of men. Yea, and as I have witnessed all the
cruelty and all the vileness, like the scum of that seething caldron
which the prophet saw of old, I feel compelled to ask
with him, "Shall I not judge for these things?" saith the
"
Lord ; shall not My soul be avenged on such a nation as
"
this ? Yea, sometimes a voice seems to ring within me
which " says, Woe, woe ! to the dwellers upon earth "
The
!
great tribulation must come of which the Lord spake and the
Antichrist must be revealed, and God must accomplish the
number of the elect.'
'
The night is drawing in, brother, revered in the Lord,'
said Linus ;
and it were well that we should speedily separate
'
to our homes. But ere we part give to us one word of
exhortation of how we are to save ourselves from this untoward
generation.'
The Apostle raised his hands towards heaven, and his eye
seemed to be lit with heavenly ecstasy as he answered in this
'
brief exhortation :
My children, love one another. Love is
the fulfilling of the law. There is no fear in love. Perfect
love casteth out fear, because fear hath torment. He that feareth
is not made perfect in love. And this commandment have
we from Him, that he who loveth God love his brother also.'
When he had thus exhorted them they broke out with passionate
jubilance in the hymn
'
Fisher of men, the blest,
Out of the world's unrest,
Out of sin's troubled sea
Taking us, Lord, to Thee,
With choicest fish, good store,
Drawing thy nets to shore,
Thy mystic sheep, we sue !
path where Christ hath trod,
way that leads to God,
Word, abiding aye,
endless Light on high,
O glorious Life of all
That on their Maker call,
Christ Jesus, hear.'
All present knelt in prayer, ending with the united utterance
of the words that the Lord had taught ;
and the great