Ps. cxxxvi. 16
Come,
children, on and forward!
With
us the Father
goes;
He
leads us, and He guards us
Through
thousands of our
foes:
The
sweetness and the glory,
The
sunlight of His
eyes,
Make
all the desert places
To
glow as
paradise.
Lo!
through the pathless midnight
The
fiery pillar
leads,
And
onward goes the Shepherd
Before
the flock He
feeds;
Unquestioning,
unfearing,
The
lambs may follow
on,
In
quietness and confidence,
Their
eyes on Him
alone.
Come,
children, on and forward!
We
journey hand in
hand,
And
each shall cheer his brother
All
through the stranger
land;
And
hosts of God's high angels
Beside
us walk in
white;
What
wonder if our singing
Make
music through the
night?
Come,
children, on and forward!
Each
hour nearer
home!
The
pilgrim days speed onward,
And
soon the last will
come.
All
hail! O golden city!
How
near the shining
towers!
Fair
gleams our Father's palace:
That
radiant home is
ours.
On!
dare and suffer all things!
Yet
but a stretch of
road,
Then
wondrous words of welcome,
And
then the Face of
God.
The
world, how small and empty!
Our
eyes have looked on
Him;
The
mighty Sun has risen,
The
taper burneth
dim.
Far
through the depths of Heaven
Our
Jesus leads His
own,
The
Mightiest, the Fairest,
Christ
ever, Christ
alone.
Led
captive by His sweetness,
And
dowered with His
bliss,
For
ever He is ours,
For
ever we are
His.
G. T. S.