BEFORE the myriad worlds were framed and given a place;
Ere the Creator hung them forth in boundless space,
Honored and blest, the Son sat by his Father's side;
O'er all the heavenly realm, his name was magnified.
Loved by the Father; the angels' admiration;
Divine beginning of God's vast creation.
He it was by whom the worlds were made.
Earth he established, its foundations laid.
Created in God's perfect image, sinless man,
O'er all the earth dominion held—air, sea, and land.
Mindful of God's commandments just, he might have still
Enjoyed this blissful state; but left to his free will,
To Satan's power he yields; who tempts him with this lie:
Handle and eat the fruit; thou shalt not surely die.
Woe worth the unhappy day! Woe worth the fatal deed!
In whom shall man find help, in this his hour of need?
To rescue him from death, some one must pay the cost,
Heaven, immortal life, to him must else be lost.
Christ Jesus, Son of God, in pity for mankind,
Leaves Heaven, and glory, power, and pleasure all behind—
O wondrous love divine! O marvelous condescension!
Unselfish, pure, and deep beyond our comprehension!—
Descends to earth, assumes man's frail and feeble frame,
Suffers reproach, temptation sore, insult, and shame.
A man of many sorrows; known to grief and pain;
None seek him unrewarded; none follow him in vain.
Death, full of shame, he suffers, on the accursed tree;
Enters the gloomy tomb; rises triumphantly.
Victorious o'er the grave; first fruits of those who sleep;
Encouraging to those who for their lost ones weep.
Reclothed with heavenly light, he up to Heaven ascends.
Yearning eyes behold his flight, a cloud his way attends.
Engaged in thought they look, when, lo, two angels cry:
Ye men of Galilee, why do ye gaze on high?
Ev'n as your Lord ascends amid the heavenly train,
So in like manner shall he come to earth again.
Hail, glorious, heavenly King! Hail, glorious, happy day!
All sorrow, care, and pain will then have passed away.
Long have God's anxious people waited, watched, and prayed;
Longed for the time when Christ in glory bright arrayed
Shall come to take his weary people to their rest,
Ever to be with him; to be forever blest.
Enable us, O Lord, all trials sore to bear;
Help us, when Christ appears, the shout of joy to share:
It is our Lord! Worthy of adoration!
Most blessed One, we will rejoice in his salvation.
Forestville, Cal.