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"Yet partial friendship to these lays
Will not her ear refuse;
And, if she cannot justly praise,
Will labour to excuse."
Dr. Wood embodied in this epic poem his calm and deeply assured conviction of the truth and supreme importance of the Christian religion, which underlaid and supported the whole structure of his life.
A few lines from "First and Last" may suffice to set. this forth:
"Lo! from the cross on which the Sinless died,
How streams the light of life on every side!
How penetrate remotest realms its rays,
Earth's darkest corners kindling into blaze!
To every land the messengers of love,
The Lord's elect, commissioned from above,
Bear the glad tidings; everywhere they sow
The seeds of truth, which, spirit-nurtured, grow
To a rich harvest. From each center spreads
The faith thus planted.
"Yet, now this, now that
Prevails. But of the two does victory wait
Most frequently on good. By slow degrees
Faith spreads her conquests. Over lands and seas
Is borne the banner onward, till at last
All nations bow before it."
Few men, of positive belief and devout feeling, make so little outward profession of religion as did Dr. Wood. But this is not difficult to account for. Not only was he a man of much natural reserve, especially in regard to the most sacred emotions of his heart, but this disposition was promoted by circumstances. Born into membership with the Society of Friends, and
