He that from dross would win the precious ore Bends o’er the crucible an earnest eye, The subtle, searching process to explore, Lest the _one_ brilliant moment should pass by When in the molten silver’s virgin mass He meets his pictured face as in a glass. Thus in God’s furnace are His children tried; Thrice happy they who to the end endure! But who the fiery trial may abide? Who from the crucible come forth so pure, That He, whose eyes of flame look through the whole, May see His image perfect in the soul? Not with an evanescent glimpse alone, As in that mirror the refiner’s face, But, stampt with heaven’s broad signet, there be shown Immanuel’s features, full of truth and grace— And round that seal of love this motto be, ‘Not for a moment, but eternity!’ Thomas Kelly (1769-1854), who was in Ireland what Williams of Pantycelyn was in Wales, wrote nearly 800 hymns, the vast majority of which belong to the same class as the masses of the forgotten hymns of pious Dissenting pastors in the eighteenth century. They are often redeemed from absolute dullness only by his love for curious rhymes, e.g. ‘hers is’ and ‘mercies.’ He illustrates abundantly how easy it is to have rhyme and rhythm without a suggestion of poetry, as in this verse— Spread abroad the joyful sound, Fly in all directions; Speak to all the world around, Men of all complexions. It is amazing that a man who could at times write so well should, as a rule, write so feebly. Yet Kelly’s hymns have had a great popularity, and a few are firmly fixed in all our hymn-books. His best are—‘Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious,’ ‘Through the day Thy love hath spared us,’ ‘We sing the praise of Him who died,’ ‘The Head that once was crowned with thorns,’ and that most inspiring and comforting missionary valediction, ‘Speed Thy servants, Saviour, speed them.’ Josiah Conder (1789-1855) was a poet and an expert editor. His _Congregational Hymn-book_ (1836) marks a new era in the devotional service of Nonconformity. He was in some cases a grievous sinner in regard to alterations, and was often very unhappy in his emendations.[194] Some of his original poems are very beautiful, especially his short hymns and his versions of Prayer-book collects, e.g. ‘Bread of heaven on Thee I feed,’ and the beautiful paraphrase of the Collect for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity, with which the _Methodist Hymn-book_ closes. Conder belongs to both centuries. His hymns are often of the dull didactic type of the earlier time, but he caught something of the spirit of the later day. Of his longer hymns the following is a good specimen. It is found in many hymnals. How shall I follow Him I serve? How shall I copy Him I love? Nor from those blessèd footsteps swerve, Which lead me to His seat above?