Forth from the peaceful ark of “Home,”
Forth, o’er the waters wild,
And through a deeper gloom than night.
Thou goest forth, my child.
The bird must leave the parent nest,
However sad it be;
And now the dreaded hour is come
That we must part with thee.
And thou hast plumed thy wing for flight,
Thy heart with hope beats high;
Alas! that earth should look so fair
To an unpracticed eye.
That thou must drink at Marah’s wells,
Their bitterness to taste,
And prove thyself this world to be
A dreary desert waste.
That thou must tread with weary foot
To learn how true it is thou hast
An evil heart within.
O, look to Jesus! Gaze on Him—
All loveliness is there;
This, this alone, can save thy soul
From every deadly snare.
O, hide His word within thy heart.
And search it, day by day;
Thy one desire, thy firm resolve,
To hear and to obey.
Farewell! my child, our “God is love,”
In Him our trust shall be;
His presence on thy pathway shine,
His blessing rest on thee.