A young man was working alone in a large room. It was after hours, and the only sound that disturbed the stillness of the usually noisy office was the steady "tick—tock" of the clock on the office wall. In vain the young man tried to concentrate on the work in hand. His attention was held by the measured sound: "tick—tock, tick—tock.”
Determinedly he bent over the big ledger but the loud ticking suddenly seemed to him to frame itself into words: "Eternity!— where?" Unable to endure long the reflections thus awakened, he soon rose from his stool and stopped the clock.
But not so easily could he stop the train of thought the voice of the clock had awakened. The question, "Eternity! where?" still so haunted him that he put aside his work and, hurrying home, determined that he would not allow anything to engage his thoughts until he could satisfactorily answer that searching question, "Eternity! where?”
The following lines were sent anonymously to a servant of the Lord a few days afterward:
"Eternity—where?" It floats in the air,
'Mid clamor or silence, it ever is there!
The question so solemn, "Eternity—where?”
"Eternity!—where?" oh, "Eternity!—where?"
With redeemed ones in glory? or fiends in despair?
With one or the other,—"Eternity!—where?”
"Eternity!—where?" Is aught worth a care?
Oh, shall we oh, can we e'en venture to dare
Do aught till we settle "Eternity!—where?”
"Eternity—where?" Oh, friend, have a care!
Soon God will no longer His judgment forbear;
This night may decide your "Eternity!—where?”