"Behold,
I Come"
"Behold, I come"—the darkness
lightens
Above all sorrow and all fear;
Beyond the clouds the Daystar
brightens,
And our deliverance is near;
The groaning earth awaits the
hour
When all the wrongs of time
are past,
And clothed with glory and with
power,
The King of kings shall reign
at last.
—Annie Johnson Flint
Blessed
Homeland
Gliding o'er life's fitful waters,
Heavy surges sometimes roll;
And we sigh for yonder haven,
For the homeland of the soul.
Blessed homeland, ever fair!
Sin can never enter there;
But the soul, to life awaking,
Everlasting bloom shall wear.
Oft we catch a faint reflection,
Of its bright and vernal hills;
And, though distant, how we
hail it!
How each heart with rapture
thrills!
To our Father, and our Savior,
To the Spirit, Three in One,
We shall sing glad songs of
triumph
When our harvest work is done.
'Tis the weary pilgrim's homeland,
Where each throbbing care shall
cease,
And our longings and our yearnings,
Like a wave, be hushed to peace.
—Fanny Crosby
Blest,
Blest Forever
Only a little while, sowing and
reaping,
Only a little while, our vigil
keeping;
Then we shall gather home, no
more to sever,
Clasped in eternal love, blest,
blest forever.
Only a little while, heartbreak
and sorrow,
Dark though the night may be,
cloudless the morrow;
Only a little while, Earth ties
to sever,
Then in our Father land, blest,
blest forever.
Only a little while, shadow and
sadness,
Then in eternity sunshine and
gladness;
Only a little while, then o'er
the river,
Home, rest and victor palm,
life, joy forever.
—Fanny Crosby
The
Bright Forever
Breaking through the clouds that
gather,
O'er the Christian's natal skies,
Distant beams, like floods of
glory,
Fill the soul with glad surprise;
And we almost hear the echo
Of the pure and holy throng,
In the bright, the bright forever,
In the summer land of song.
Yet a little while we linger,
Ere we reach our journey's end;
Yet a little while of labor,
Ere the evening shades descend;
Then we'll lay us down to slumber,
But the night will soon be o'er;
In the bright, the bright forever,
We shall wake, to weep no more.
O the bliss of life eternal!
O the long unbroken rest!
In the golden fields of pleasure,
In the region of the blessed;
But, to see our dear Redeemer,
And before His throne to fall,
There to bear His gracious welcome,
Will be sweeter far than all.
—Fanny Crosby
The Cross
In evil long I took delight,
Unawed by shame or fear,
Till a new object struck my
sight,
And stopped my wild career.
I saw One hanging on a tree,
In agonies and blood;
He fixed His languid eyes on
me,
As near His
cross I stood.
Sure never till my latest breath,
Shall I forget that look!
It seemed to charge me with
His death,
Though not
a word He spoke.
A second look He gave, which
said,
"I freely all forgive;
This blood is for thy ransom
paid;
I die that
thou mayest live."
Thus while His death my sin displays
In all its blackest hue,
Such is the mystery of grace,
It seals
my pardon too!
—John Newton
Down
Life's Path
Many go down life's path with
lofty plans
To amass a great fortune of
houses and lands
And to live a life of pleasure
and ease,
Thinking happiness can be found
in these.
Others pursue power and worldwide
fame
To be known by all and win their
acclaim.
But those without God who attain
these goals
Soon find emptiness remains
in their souls.
They could not find true happiness
For life's void cannot be filled
with this.
If only they realized this will
not last
Since life is fleeting and will
soon be past.
Wealth, worldly pleasure, fame,
and power
Will all be gone at death's
dark hour.
And beyond the grave when eternity
begins
Those unsaved will be judged
for their sins!
If only they would believe in
God's Son
And repent of the sinful deeds
they've done,
Then they could go down life's
path
Not needing to worry about God's
wrath.
They would have the joy they
longed for,
Inner peace, contentment, and
much more
For when their lives on earth
shall end
Heavenly bliss would at once
begin!
—Perry Boardman
The
Fear of the Lord
My fear of Thee, O Lord, exults
Like life within my veins,
A fear which tightly claims
to be
One of love's sacred pains.
There is no joy the soul can
meet
Upon life's various road
Like the sweet fear that sits
and shrinks
Under the eye of God.
Oh, Thou art greatly to be feared,
Thou art so prompt to bless!
The dread to miss such love
as Thine
Makes fear but love's excess.
But fear is love, and love is
fear,
And in and out they move;
But fear is an intenser joy
Than mere unfrightened love.
They love Thee little, if at
all,
Who do not fear Thee much;
If love is Thine attraction,
Lord!
Fear is Thy very touch.
—F. W. Faber
Forever
with the Lord
Forever with the Lord!
Amen; so let it be,
Life from the dead is in that
word,
'Tis immortality.
Here in the body pent,
Absent from him I roam,
Yet nightly pitch my moving
tent
A day's march nearer home.
My Father's house on high,
Home of my soul, so near,
At times, to faith's far-seeing
eye
Thy golden gates appear!
Yet clouds will intervene,
And all my prospect flies,
Like Noah's dove, I flit between
Rough seas and stormy skies.
And the clouds depart,
The winds and waters cease,
While sweetly o'er my gladdend
heart
Expands the bow of peace.
In darkness as in light,
Hidden alike from view,
I sleep, I wake, as in his sight,
Who looks all nature through.
Forever with the Lord!
Father, if 'tis thy will,
The promise of that faithful
word
Even here to me fulfil.
Be thou at my right hand,
Then can I never fail,
Uphold thou me, and I shall
stand,
Fight, and I must prevail.
Knowing as I am known,
How shall I love that word!
And oft repeat before the throne,
Forever with the Lord!
Forever with the Lord!
Amen; so let it be,
Life from the dead is in that
word,
'Tis immortality.
—Octavius Winslow
Gently
Lead Us
Gently, Lord, oh, gently lead
us
Through vale of tears,
Though thou'st decreed us,
Till our last great change appears.
As temptation's darts assail
us,
Or in devious paths we stray
Let thy goodness never fail
us,
Lead us in thy perfect way
In the hour of pain and anguish,
In the hour when death draws
near
Suffer not our hearts to languish,
Suffer not our souls to fear.
As this mortal life is ended,
Bid us in thine arms to rest,
Till, by angel bands attended,
We awake among the blest.
Then, oh, crown us with thy blessing,
Through the triumphs of thy
grace;
Then shall praises never ceasing
Echo through thy dwelling-place.
—Octavius Winslow
Heaven
at Last
Angel voices sweetly singing,
Echoes through the blue dome
ringing,
News of wondrous gladness bringing...
Ah, 'tis heaven at last!
Now beneath us all the grieving,
All the wounded spirit's heaving,
All the woe of hopes deceiving...
Ah 'tis heaven at last!
Sin for ever left behind us,
Earthly visions cease to blind
us,
Fleshly fetters cease to bind
us...
Ah, 'tis heaven at last!
On the jasper threshold standing,
Like a pilgrim safely landing
See, the strange bright scene
expanding...
Ah 'tis heaven at last!
What a city! what a glory!
Far beyond the brightest story
Of the ages old and hoary...
Ah, 'tis heaven at last!
Softest voices silver pealing,
Freshest fragrances spirit-healing,
Happy hymns around us stealing...
Ah, 'tis heaven at last!
Gone the vanity and folly,
Gone the dark and melancholy,
Come the joyous and the holy...
Ah, 'tis heaven at last!
Not a broken blossom yonder,
Not a link can snap asunder,
Stay'd the tempest, sheathed
the thunder...
Ah, 'tis heaven at last!
Not a tear-drop ever falleth,
Not a pleasure ever palleth,
Song to song for ever calleth...
Ah, 'tis heaven at last!
Christ Himself the living splendour,
Christ the sunlight mild and
tender;
Praises to the Lamb we render...
Ah, 'tis heaven at last!
Now at length the veil is rended,
Now the pilgrimage is ended,
And the saints their thrones
ascended...
Ah, 'tis heaven at last!
Broken death's dread bands that
bound us,
Life and victory around us,
Christ the King Himself hath
crowned us...
Ah,'tis heaven at last!
—Horatius Bonar
How Long?
My God, it is not fretfulness
That makes me say "How long?"
It is not heaviness of heart
That hinders me in song,
'Tis not despair of truth and
right,
Nor coward dread of wrong.
But how can I, with such a hope
Of glory and of home;
With such a joy before my eyes,
Not wish the time were come
Of years the jubilee, of days
The Sabbath and the sum?
These years, what ages they have
been!
This life, how long it seems!
And how can I in evil days,
'Mid unknown hills and streams
But sigh for those of home and
heart
And visit them in dreams?
Yet peace, my heart and hush
my tongue;
Be calm, my troubled breast;
Each restless hour is hastening
on
The everlasting rest.
Thou knowest that the time thy
God
Appoints for thee is best.
Let faith, not fear nor fretfulness,
Awake the cry, "How long?"
Let now faintheartedness of
soul
Damp thy aspiring song,
Right comes, truth dawns, the
night departs
Of error and of wrong.
—Horatius Bonar
In
His Hands
'Twixt gleams of joy and clouds
of doubt
Our feelings come and go;
Our best estate is tossed about
In ceaseless ebb and flow.
No mood of feeling, form of
thought
Is constant for a day;
But thou, 0 Lord, thou changest
not:
The same thou art alway.
I grasp thy strength, make it
mine own,
My heart with peace is blest;
I lose my hold, and then comes
down
Darkness, and cold unrest.
Let me no more my comfort draw
From my frail hold of thee,
In this alone rejoice with awe—-
Thy mighty grasp of me.
Out of that weak, unquiet drift
That comes but to depart,
To that pure heaven my spirit
lift
Where thou unchanging art.
Lay hold of me with thy strong
grasp,
Let thy almighty arm
In its embrace my weakness clasp,
And I shall fear no harm.
Thy purpose of eternal good
Let me but surely know;
On this I'll lean—let changing
mood
And feeling come or go—
Glad when thy sunshine fills
my soul,
Not lorn when clouds o'ercast,
Since thou within thy sure control
Of love dost hold me fast .
—John Campbell Shairp
No
Will But Thine
Jesus, 'tis my aim divine,
Hence to have no will but thine,
Let me covenant with thee,
Thine for evermore to be:
This my prayer, and this alone,
Saviour, let thy will be done!
Thee to love, to live to thee,
This my daily portion be,
Nothing to my Lord I give,
But from him I first receive:
Lord, for me thy blood was spilt,
Lead me, guide me, as thou wilt.
All that is opposed to thee,
Howsoever dear it be,
From my heart the idol tear,
Thou shalt have no rival there,
Only thou shalt fill the throne:
Saviour, let thy will be done.
Wilt thou, Lord, in me fulfil
All the pleasure of thy will;
Thine in life, and thine in
death,
Thine in every fleeting breath,
Thou my hope and joy alone:
Saviour, let thy will be done.
—Octavius Winslow
Life's
Clock
The clock of life is wound but
once,
And no man has the power
To tell just where the hands
will stop —
At late or early hour.
To lose one's wealth is sad indeed,
To lose one's health is more,
To lose one's soul is such a
loss
As no man can restore.
The present only is our own,
Live for Christ with a will;
Place no faith in tomorrow,
For the clock may then be still.
Lord!
How I Love Thee!
Infinite, all-wise, compassionate
God!
How oft I have thought of the
path Thou didst trod.
Brief years on earth were a
tale of deep woe,
For suffering and sorrow was
all Thou didst know.
O Lord, all Thy beauty I hardly
can trace;
Mighty in power, You flung into
space
Planets in orbit, and stars
made to shine;
But wonders far greater were
meant to be mine!
Saviour and Sovereign! How gracious
Thou art;
Willing and able to dwell in
my heart!
Bringing full pardon and cleansing
for sin;
Causing the joy bells to echo
within.
Thrice holy! Unblemished in all
of Thy frame,
I marvel to think I may call
Thee by name!
But grace so amazing, so deep,
and so wide,
Has drawn me, ever so near to
Thy side.
To Thee be all glory, now and
for aye!
offerings of worship I bring
Thee today;
And bowed low before Thee, here
is my all;
Yielded this moment to Thy beck
and call.
Lord, how I love Thee with all
of my heart.
Still I must follow; ne'er to
depart!
Soon, all the shadows of night
will be past;
Then, t'will be glory—with Jesus
at last!
—Robert W. Wesley
My
Goal Is God Himself
My goal is God Himself, not joy,
nor peace,
Nor even blessing, but Himself,
my God;
'Tis His to lead me there -
not mine, but His—
At any cost, dear Lord, by any
road.
So faith bounds forward to its
goal in God,
And
love can trust her Lord to lead her there;
Upheld by Him, my soul
is following hard
Till God hath full fulfilled
my deepest prayer.
No matter if the way be sometimes
dark,
No matter though the cost be
oft-times great,
He knoweth how I best shall
reach the mark;
The way that leads to Him must
needs be strait.
One thing I know, I cannot say
Him nay;
One thing I do, I press towards
my Lord;
My God, my glory here, from
day to day,
And in the glory there my great
Reward.
—F. Brook
New
Creatures
At times with sudden glory,
He speaks, and all is done;
Without one stroke of battle
The victory is won,
While we, with joy beholding,
Can scarce believe it true
That even our kingly Jesus
Can form such hearts anew.
—Charitie Lees de Chenez
On
the Threshold
I'm returning, not departing;
My steps are homeward bound,
I quit the land of strangers
For a home on native ground.
I am rising and not setting;
This is not night but day,
Not in darkness, but in sunshine,
Like a star, I fade away.
All is well with me for ever;
I do not fear to go,
My tide is but beginning
Its bright eternal flow.
I am leaving only shadows
For the true and fair and good,
I must not, cannot, linger;
I would not, though I could.
This is not death's dark portal,
'Tis life's golden gate to me,
Link after link is broken,
And I at last am free.
I am going to the angels,
I am going to my God;
I know the hand that beckons,
I see the holy road.
Why grieve me with your weeping?
Your tears are all in vain,
An hour's farewell, beloved,
And we shall meet again.
Jesus, Thou wilt receive me
And welcome me above;
This sunshine which now fills
me
Is Thine own smile of love.
—Horatius Bonar
One
Day at a Time
One day at a time, with its failures
and fears,
With its hurts and mistakes,
with its weakness and tears,
With its portion of pain and
its burden of care;
One day at a time we must meet
and must bear.
One day at a time to be patient
and strong,
To be calm under trial and sweet
under wrong;
Then its toiling shall pass
and its sorrow shall cease;
It shall darken and die, and
the night shall bring peace.
One day at a time - but the day
is so long,
And the heart is not brave,
and the soul is not strong,
0 Thou pitiful Christ, be Thou
near all the way;
Give courage and patience and
strength for the day.
Swift cometh His answer, so clear
and so sweet;
"Yea, I will be with thee, thy
troubles to meet;
I will not forget thee, nor
fail thee, nor grieve;
I will not forsake thee; I never
will leave."
Not yesterday's load we are called
on to bear,
Nor the morrow's uncertain and
shadowy care;
Why should we look forward or
back with dismay?
Our needs, as our mercies, are
but for the day.
One day at a time, and the day
is His day;
He hath numbered its hours,
though they haste or delay.
His grace is sufficient; we
walk not alone;
As the day, so the strength
that He giveth His own.
—Annie Johnson Flint
Out
of the Depths
It makes the wounded spirit
whole,
And calms the troubled breast;
'Tis manna to the hungry soul,
And to the weary rest.
Dear Name! the Rock on which
I build
My Shield and Hiding-place;
My never-failing Treasury fill'd
With boundless stores of grace.
By Thee my prayers acceptance
gain,
Although with sin defiled;
Satan accuses me in vain,
And I am own'd a child.
Jesus! my Shepherd, Husband,
Friend,
My Prophet, Priest, and King;
My Lord, my Life, my Way, my
End,
Accept the praise I bring.
Weak is the effort of my heart,
And cold my warmest thought;
But when I see Thee as Thou
art,
I'll praise Thee as I ought.
Till then I would Thy love proclaim
With every fleeting breath;
And may the music of Thy Name
Refresh my soul in death!
—John Newton
Take
up Thy Cross
Take up thy cross, the Saviour
said,
If thou wouldst My disciple
be;
Deny thyself, the world forsake,
And humbly follow after Me.
Take up thy cross; let not its
weight
Fill thy weak soul with vain
alarm;
His strength shall bear thy
spirit up,
And brace thy heart, and nerve
thine arm.
Take up thy cross, nor heed the
shame,
Nor let thy foolish pride rebel;
The Lord for thee the cross
endured
To save thy soul from death
and hell.
Take up thy cross, then, in His
strength,
And calmly every danger brave;
'Twill guide thee to a better
home,
And lead to victory o'er the
grave.
Take up thy cross, and follow
Christ,
Nor think till death to lay
it down;
For only he who bears the cross
May hope to wear the glorious
crown.
—Charles William Everest
The
Valour and
Victories of Faith
By faith I unseen Being see,
Forth lower beings call,
And say to nothing, Let it be;
And nothing hatches all.
By faith I know the worlds were
made
By God's great word of might;
How soon, Let there be light,
he said,
That moment there was light.
By faith I soar and force my
flight
Through all the clouds of sense;
I see the glories out of sight,
With brightest evidence.
By faith I mount the azure sky,
And from the lofty sphere,
The earth a little mote espy,
Unworthy of my care.
By faith I see the unseen things
Hid from all mortal eyes;
Proud reason stretching all
its wings,
Beneath me flutt'ring lies.
By faith I build my lasting hope
On righteousness divine;
Nor can I sink with such a prop,
Whatever storms combine.
By faith my works, my righteousness,
And duties all I own
But loss and dung; and lay my
stress
On what my Lord has done.
By faith I overcome the world,
And all its hurtful charms;
I'm in the heav'nly chariot
hurl'd
Through all opposing harms.
By faith I have a conqu'ring
pow'r
To tread upon my foes,
To triumph in a dying hour,
And banish all my woes.
By faith in midst of wrongs I'm
right,
In sad decays I thrive:
In weakness I am strong in might,
In death I am alive.
By faith I stand when deep I
fall,
In darkness I have light;
Nor dare I doubt and question
all
When all is out of sight.
By faith I trust a pardon free,
Which puzzles flesh and blood;
To think that God can justify,
Where yet he sees no good.
By faith I keep my Lord's commands,
To verify my trust;
I purify my heart and hands,
And mortify my lust.
By faith my melting soul repents,
When pierced Christ appears;
My heart in grateful praises
vents,
Mine eyes in joyful tears.
By faith I can the mountains
vast
Of sin and guilt remove;
And them into the ocean cast
The sea of blood and love.
By faith I see Jehovah high,
Upon a throne of grace;
I see him lay his vengeance
by,
And smile in Jesus'face.
By faith I hope to see the Sun,
The light of grace that lent:
His everlasting circles run
In glory's firmament.
By faith I'm more than conqueror,
Ev'n though I nothing can;
Because I set Jehovah's pow'r
Before me in the van.
By faith I counterplot my foes,
Nor need their ambush fear;
Because my life-guard also goes
Behind me in the rear.
By faith I walk, I run, I fly,
By faith I suffer thrall;
By faith I'm fit to live and
die,
By faith I can do all
—Ralph Erskine
A
Kingdom