WHAT'S DONE FOR GOD CAN NEVER DIE.
By E. P. Marvin
Ho, ye who spend your strength for naught,
And loathe the prize so dearly bought;
Toilers of earth, and time, and sense,
O what shall be your recompense?
Of all that's done beneath the sky,
Little hath immortality;
What's done for earth fails by-and-by,
What's done for God can never die. Ho, ye who join the eager strife
For gold, or fame, or pride of life;
Who pamper lusts of flesh and eye,
And for the world with worldlings vie,
Death will undo your toil so vain,
And leave you no abiding gain;
What's done for time ends by-and-by,
What's done for God can never die. Cheops may crumble back to dust,
Scepters and crowns deceive our trust,
And fail desire and perish lust;
By moth, or rust, or thief, or fire,
Our treasures fail; our hopes expire;
What's done for sense fails by-and-by,
What's done for God can never die. When comes the King in royal might
To crush the wrong and crown the right;
When all the saints in glory meet,
No more to die, no more to weep;
When thrones are set and crowns are given,
With all the rich rewards of Heaven,
Oh! in that heavenly by-and-by
What's done for God can never die. Then do for God, do what you can,
O mortal and immortal man!
A wasted life—ah me, to grieve!—
Eternity cannot retrieve!
A fruitful life for man and God
Eternity will well reward;
Probation ceases by-and-by,
What's done for God can never die. —E. P. Marvin, in Messiah's Herald.