BEHOLD the Bridegroom comes!
It is the cry at midnight made,
And all the virgins rise, and trim their lamps.
The wise alone are ready, and with hushed voices, looks enraptured,
Wait the coming of their Lord,
“O lend us of your oil," the foolish cry,
Our lamps are out, O lend us, lend us of your oil!”
Hush! Hush! He comes. He comes to call His own.
And now what joy it is His blessed face to see,
His beaming smile, His look of recognition,
And to fall in worship at His feet, gazing upon His beauty,
“Come in, come in," He says; and then—the door is shut.
But hark! the night is wild, and on the breeze is borne a cry.
“Open, dear Lord, to us.
Thou art so kind, so pitiful, sure thou'lt not say us Nay?
We were not ready, Lord—we own it—and our lamps were out.
Our hearts went with the gay, bright world,
In music, song and feast.
Our feet have trod its flowery ways,
And yet found naught but thorns!
(But now they fain would tread the golden streets).
We saw it, Lord; and Thee we could not see.
For "out of sight" is ofttimes “out of mind…
So we chose it rather than Thee,
And now, we are shut out.
We hear the sounds of bliss and joy within,
And our hearts long to enter.
Open, open to us!
Sad, sad, the answer comes.
“Too late! too late! the door is shut!
No more may enter in.”
Soul, canst thou not hear the wailings of the group, the fond regrets?
Canst see the bitter tears Wept o'er the sinful past? They slept! Yet now methinks,
Is rest no more for them!
O Lord, our hearts are aching for the wanderers;
Many, Lord, we love are straying,
Make them Thine own.
Rest of the weary, Lover of our souls,
O turn them to Thyself;
Thou art all love, Thy heart is yearning for them, Lord, far more than ours.
We can do naught in this;
Our hands are folded and our feet are still.
We cast them upon Thee.
O draw them to Thy feet before the door is shut.
Teach them Thy love, make them to be for Thee
In this dark world, to learn the new song here.
Then by-and-bye we'll sing it in the Father's house
Together, and we'll gaze upon Thy beauty evermore.
We ne'er shall tire of gazing.
Faith anticipates the blessed time,
And lifts her hand and shades her straining eyes,
To gaze right through the opened heavens
To Where Thou art.
O Lord, we praise Thee for Thy love,
Now make us praise Thee more
In heart, and life, and ways,
For Thy Name's sake, until Thou come. Amen.