If our faith had given us nothing more Than this example of all womanhood, So mild, so merciful, so strong, so good, So patient, peaceful, loyal, loving, pure, This were enough to prove it higher and truer Than all creeds the world had known before. --H. W. LONGFELLOW. From _The Golden Legend_. COME TO JESUS [Illustration] Souls of men! why will ye scatter Like a crowd of frightened sheep? Foolish hearts! why will ye wander From a love so true and deep? Was there ever kindest shepherd Half so gentle, half so sweet As the Saviour who would have us Come and gather round His feet? It is God: His love looks mighty, But is mightier than it seems: ’Tis our Father: and His fondness Goes far out beyond our dreams. There’s a wideness in God’s mercy, Like the wideness of the sea: There’s a kindness in His justice, Which is more than liberty. There is no place where earthly sorrows Are more felt than up in heaven; There is no place where earthly failings Have such kindly judgment given. There is welcome for the sinner, And more graces for the good; There is mercy with the Saviour; There is healing in His Blood. There is grace enough for thousands Of new worlds as great as this; There is room for fresh creations In that upper home of bliss. For the love of God is broader Than the treasures of man’s mind; And the heart of the Eternal Is most wonderfully kind. There is plentiful redemption In the Blood that has been shed; There is joy for all the members In the sorrows of the Head. If our love were but more simple, We should take Him at His word; And our lives would be all sunshine In the sweetness of our Lord. --FATHER FABER. * * * * * Be comforted; and blessèd be The meek, the merciful, the pure Of heart; for they shall see, shall hear God’s mercy. So shall peace endure. --JOAQUIN MILLER. FATHER MARQUETTE expedition martyrdom humility adieu investigation utterance fathoms erect deputed banquet domestic cubit In 1672, letters from Quebec informed Marquette that the government had taken up the project of exploring the Mississippi, and that he was the missionary selected to accompany the expedition. His heart exulted at the prospect. The hope of a glorious martyrdom while opening the way to future heralds of the Cross buoyed him up, though in his humility he never spoke of martyrdom. To him it was but a death, “to cease to offend God.”