SALVATION for having, and life for a look,
And Christ for receiving (who ne’er us forsook);
And heaven before us, and judgment behind,
And all for the taking—as free as the wind;
For still stands the promise. The Good Shepherd saith―
“Who rests on my saying shall never see death.”
Now who are invited? To whom says He “Come”?
What kind of poor sinners will Jesus take home?
Not those whose deservings are urged as a plea;
The self-righteous sinner to Christ may not flee;
For only the “weary,” “without any strength,”
Can taste of His love in its “breadth and its length.”
The sinner that’s ruined, who knows he’s undone,
Is welcome and dear to the “Crucified One;”
No self-preparation, no robe must he wear,
To cover his heart till his Saviour is there;
For love, or amendment, or sorrow for sin,
Must spring from a sense of forgiveness within.
Then take now the offer; to you it is made;
Your sins were all punished in Him who has said—
“The crimson-dyed sinner may wash and be clean,
In blood that can ne’er leave behind it a stain;
For, true to His mission He came from above
To cleanse you from guilt, and to clothe you with love.”