"He that descendeth from above Is Lord and King of all; While he that is mere earthly man Is tainted by the fall. "He that from heaven comes to earth-- The mighty Prince and Lord-- Tells men what He has seen and heard, And none receive His word. "Yet he that hath received His word Hath set his loyal seal, That God's eternal righteousness He doth to man reveal." But John's bold, fearless preaching Now, suddenly, must cease-- How truly he had prophesied Unto himself decrease! Wicked Herod. HEROD, tetrarch of Galilee, John's teaching oft did seek, Thought him a just and holy man, And gladly heard him speak. Yet Herod had a wicked heart, And crime had stained his name, For he lived with his brother's wife, And none had dared to blame. But John, with holy courage, had Condemned his sinful life, And said, "It is not right for thee To have thy brother's wife." Therefore, the woman hated him-- Herodias was her name-- And would have killed him if she could, With neither fear nor shame. But Herod she persuaded, To seize the preacher bold, And in a dungeon's gloomy cell His prisoner to hold. Now, when the news of this event To Jesus had been brought, While in the land of Judah, Where He baptized and taught, And He well knew that word unto The Pharisees had gone, How, in His mission here and there, He plainly favored John, He left Judea's flowerey land, And turned His face again To Galilee, His early home, In Herod's proud domain. Yet neither horse nor chariot had This royal Son of God; But traveled humbly and afoot The hot and dusty road. The Woman at the Well. HIS way lay through Samaria, And, as the noon was high, He came to Jacob's ancient well, The town of Sychar nigh. And, wearied with His journey, He by the well sat down, While His disciples went to buy Some food within the town. Then, presently, a woman came-- A daughter of the land, To draw some water from the well-- Her pitcher in her hand. And Jesus, full of pitying grace, Beyond what we can think, Looked gently in the woman's eyes, And said, "Give me to drink?" And thus, this poor Samaritan, Who knew but sin and shame, Was led to seek the living draught, Found in Messiah's name. And she, that single pupil, heard, By the old patriarch's well, The greatest, grandest lesson That e'er from Jesus fell. And she believed. O, woman fair, Though fallen thou hadst been, The Searcher of all hearts in thee The seed of faith had seen; And traveled through Samaria, To meet you, and to tell The new and wondrous doctrine That you received so well. And now came the disciples back, Who wondered that He taught One humble woman there alone, Yet wherefore no man sought.