Rev. xxii. I.
Glorious
River of God's pleasures,
Well
of God's eternal
bliss,
Thirsting
now no more for ever,
Tread
we this waste
wilderness.
O
for words divine to tell it,
How
along that River's
brink,
Come
the weak, the worn, the weary,
There
the tides of joy to
drink!
"Drink
abundantly, beloved,"
Speaks
the Voice so sweet and
still;
"Of
the life, and love, and glory,
Freely
come and drink your
fill."
Every
longing stilled for ever,
As
the face of God we
see--
Whom
besides have we in heaven,
Or
desire on earth but
Thee?
All
the weariness, the sorrow
Of
the way that we have
gone,
Passed
away in His bright presence,
As
the night before the
sun.
Nor
alone the gloom and darkness--
Earlier
joys have passed
away,
As
the stars in glowing sunrise
Lose
themselves in golden
day.
And
alone--alone before us,
Christ
in cloudless radiance
stands,
On
His head the crowns of glory,
And
the nail-prints in His
hands.
There
the mystery of Thy passion,
There
Thy Cross, O Lord, we
see,
Whence
the River of God's pleasures
Flows,
a fountain fresh and
free.
Waters
of eternal gladness
Won
for us at countless
price;
Lo!
the desert is God's garden,
And
the wastes are
Paradise
From
that Cross and glory turning,
Can
our eyes see aught
beside?
Strangers
here--the desert round us,
There,
for ever
satisfied.
T. P.