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THE RICH MAN'S CHOICE

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Publishing Committee · Rochester, N. Y. · Nov 14, 1854

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 6, No. 14.

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THE RICH MAN'S CHOICE.

"And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved; for he had great possessions." Mark x, 22.
O, had he known that harps were hushed Amid the angel throng, Or heard the strain that would have gushed Those shining chords along; Or seen where waved his crown of life, The fadeless and the fair, Would he, within that hour of strife, Have stood and pondered there?
That fearful hour—that silent kept The seraphs of the sky! With wily care the tempter swept His panorama by; Before him passed broad lands and fair, And coffers piled with gold; But for the gorgeous visions there, Perchance a soul was sold.
How could he stand? how could he pause? How for one moment weigh The things that should have been as straws, With life's long blissful day? He knew beyond the shining gate The proffered "treasure" lay, O, how could mortal hesitate?— He sadly "went away."
On Judah's hills, the green and fair, Is hushed the voice of yore, But still the tempter spreads his snare, Just as it spread before; And ye who earthly riches hold, And heritages fair, Oh, barter not for lands and gold, Your priceless treasures there.
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