With eager love these souls may burn, These hands their utmost strain; Still, Lord, one mite they cannot earn; Thy love doth grace remain. O! mourn Thy servants that there fall No earnings to their lot? Because Thy grace hath given them all, Lord, can they give Thee nought? Thine own no heavenly burden spare! Withhold no task divine, And let our eager love declare The unbought grace of Thine. My last quotation is made for the sake of its quaint, sturdy, half-humorous Independency. The text is, ‘Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.’ Lord! Thy gracious voice hath spoken, Lord! Thy faithful ones obey; Not by us be rudely broken Christ’s command or Caesar’s sway! God too greatly cannot task us, Tribute glad we bring the Lord; Service slight must Caesar ask us, Tribute small can we afford. Yet each holier soul desireth Nobler Caesars to appear; Each diviner hour requireth Powers and thrones more glorious here. All our tribute, all our treasure, We would spend where we can love; Jesus! come and be our Caesar! Sovereign here as Lord above. Low before Thy kingdom’s splendour Make the world’s poor kingdoms bow! Lord, to Thee our all we render— Thou our gracious Caesar, Thou! Thy mild monarchy victorious Half Thy word shall needless make, Our least service shall be glorious— All our tribute God shall take. I have already referred to Mr. Gill’s national hymn Lift thy song among the nations, England of the Lord beloved, which is based on the text, ‘He hath not dealt so with any nation. Praise ye the Lord.’[197] A few other hymns by English Nonconformist writers may be found, some, e.g. Thomas Binney’s ‘Eternal Light,’ being of a very high order. Mr. Spurgeon wrote a good many hymns and psalm-versions, but they are not likely to be widely used. One, intended as a paraphrase of Ps. xli., might, perhaps, find a place among hymns of Philanthropy, where our hymnals are still weak. Jesus, poorest of the poor, Man of sorrows, Child of grief! Happy they whose bounteous store Ministered to Thy relief. Jesus, though Thy head is crowned, Crowned with loftiest majesty, In Thy members Thou art found Plunged in deepest poverty. Happy they who wash Thy feet, Visit Thee in Thy distress; Honour great and labour sweet, For Thy sake the saints to bless. Thou wilt deeds of love repay; Grace shall generous hearts reward Here on earth, and in the day When they meet their reigning Lord.[198] Bernard Barton (1784-1849), the Quaker poet, is best known by his hymn on the Holy Scriptures—‘Lamp of our feet, whereby we trace.’ To my mind his best hymn is the bright song of the Christian soldier.