The Hope of Man by C. M. S.

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C.

FromReview and Herald, Harvest Ingathering Number

The Hope of Man

By C. M. S.

From the day when Eden sorrowed, o'er the penalty for sin And the misery and the heartaches which man's folly ushered in, Faith and hope have pointed forward through the shadows and the gloom To a grand and glorious freedom from the terror of the tomb.

In the valley of the shadow it has cheered the stricken soul; It has comforted the bruised heart, and beckoned toward the goal Where the Light of all the ages sits between the cherubim, On the throne of the Eternal, while the angels worship him.

'Tis the promise of his coming that has cheered the heart of man Since the day when Abel perished and the reign of sin began, Through the tomb that was his prison went the conquering Son of God, And he brought his trophies with him who had slept beneath the sod.

He who conquered every evil in the desert wilderness, He who burst the bands of Hades by the power of righteousness, Has sent ringing through the ages this glad message to all men, “If I go unto the Father, I will surely come again.”

Earth has staggered in her circuit 'neath the burden of her woe; Hearts have broken with their sorrows as the seasons come and go. Want and luxury are neighbors, rags and riches everywhere, Meet and pass, or face each other in the busy thoroughfare.

Men have reared majestic mansions with the blood and sweat and tears Of their brothers in the harness through the long and bitter years. Every land has had its sorrow, every people their distress, And the earth that once was Eden is a sin-cursed wilderness.

Yet there stands the mighty promise, given to Adam in his woe, Of the perfect restoration from the bondage of the foe, Just so sure as Jesus suffered, died, and reigneth now above, We shall one day see him coming for the trophies of his love.

Speed, ye Christians, speed the message over land and over sea Till all men have heard the summons to the coming jubilee! When this gospel of the kingdom has been preached the world around, We shall see our Saviour coming, and shall hear his trumpet sound.

O, the gladness of that coming when the reign of sin is o'er, And when Death, the king of terrors, shall oppress the race no more! From the graves where sleep his children on the pillow of his love, Christ will call them for their journey to their waiting home above.

All their griefs will be forgotten, tears no more the eye will dim, For the root of sin is banished, and we'll reign in peace with him. To the mansions he has builded for his faithful ones on high Angel hands shall guide his loved ones through the star-bejeweled sky.

There's no human speech can utter what that blessed day will bring To the souls that have not faltered in the service of their King; And the glory and the gladness which redemption will afford Will be heightened, deepened, widened by the presence of our Lord.

C. M. S.