AM I A SOLDIER OF THE CROSS?
By Rev. J. S. Norris
AM I a soldier of the cross?
I'm sure I hardly know;
I like to shuffle cards and "trip
The light fantastic toe." Then of the horse race I am fond,
And almost every game;
Some preachers are, and deacons too,
So I need feel no shame. I go to church and Sunday school,
And bow the suppliant knee;
But when a play is on the boards
I like to go and see. Of course some shows are not the thing,
Some actors go astray;
But when that kind is advertised
I always stay away. I know some can't discriminate
Between the wrong and right;
But why should I e'er think of them?
God cares for those not bright. 'Tis said, Paul would not do these things,
Nor to such places go;
But he was 'way behind the times,
And always rather slow. Had he been cultured as are we,
What might he not have done?
At any rate with greater ease
He might the race have run. Must I be carried to the skies
On beds of fluffy down?
I must, or I shall never want
To leave this lovely town. Are there no foes for me to face?
Yes, conscience—when awake;
And then, there are the Scriptures too;
These sometimes make me quake. Well, I must fight if I would reign;
True soldiers never run;
I'll send my invitations out
And drown my fears in fun. Am I a soldier of the cross?
I truly hope I am;
If there's one thing I really hate,
Believe me, 'tis a sham.