WORDS FOR WAYFARERS

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jan 7, 1858

WORDS FOR WAYFARERS.

WHITHER ART THOU GOING?

Christian Pilgrim! WHITHER ART THOU GOING? Thou art not at home; thou hast not reached thy rest. Thou art here a stranger and a sojourner as all thy fathers were before thee. Wert thou of earth, then could'st thou be at rest. Then could''st thou cast off thy yearnings for an eternal home, thy sighings and longings, and pantings, and could'st say unto thy soul, "Soul, take thine ease; eat, drink and be merry." Then could'st thou be even as the brute beasts around thee, thoughtless, careless, fearless, hopeless. But thou art not at home. Thou wanderest a stranger and foreigner far from thy Father's house. Thou journeyest ever yearning after the unseen; oft weary, oft cold, oft hungry, oft tempted, oft cast down, oft perplexed and forlorn; yet are thine eyes ever forward and upward as one that seekest a better land. Christian Pilgrim! Whither goest thou?

I GO TO MY FATHER'S HOUSE. I go to a goodly land, a land of peace and joy. I go to the regions of light, to the glad and blessed world. I go to the New Jerusalem, to the City of my God. I go to the abode of the pure, to the haven of storm-tossed saints. I go to the realms where angels dwell, where seraphs flame and cherubs sing. I go to the Palace of gold, to the temple of my God. Poor, forlorn and way-worn, weary and fainting pilgrim though I be, thither I go; yea, and thither ere long shall I come and be forever at rest.

THERE SHALL I SEE THE KING IN HIS GLORY. There, all gloriously attired in his righteousness, shall I behold his face. Ravished by the sight, with joy unspeakable, shall my exulting spirit pour forth its love and adoration in notes whose melody of gratitude will fill the courts of heaven with wondering praise. There shall I bask in the sun-beams of His love who gave himself to death for me. There shall my ransomed spirit, brought safely home, saved, assured, eternally redeemed from sin, from sorrow, from wandering, pain and woe, forever rest with him, the pilgrim's Saviour, God and Guide.

BEWARE! OH! PILGRIM! BEWARE! Thou wanderest in a wilderness beset with many a snare. Pitfalls are before thee; enemies surround thee; dangers encompass thee on every hand. Beware, lest thou stumble and fall. Beware, lest thou wander and miss thy way. Beware, lest the fair flowers and fruits of the wilderness tempt thee to dally with transient joys, and cause thee to forget thy home. Beware lest thy foes beguile thee, and rob thee of thy prize. Beware, lest night shades come upon thee ere thy journey be done, and thou reach not the mansions of light. Pilgrim, beware!

MY BELOVED IS MINE, and I fear not. I am weary and way-worn, but I lean on his arm. I am chilled, but his beams shine upon me. I faint, but the cordial of his love revives me. I wander, but he, my guide, restores me. I stumble, but his right hand upholds me. Mine enemies are cunning; they are strong and cruel, but he is my buckler and shield. Through him shall I do valiantly. Through him shall I be more than conqueror, and soon shall I enter the pearly gates. Soon shall I enter the golden streets. Soon shall I tune my golden harp. Soon shall I drink of the River of Life. Yea, soon shall I enter in to go out no more for ever.

OH! PILGRIM! Go joyously on! Fix thine eyes above. Shake off the mire and clay. Court not earthly joys. Dread not earthly sorrows.

[Am. Pres.]