THERE’S naught on earth to rest on,
All things are changing here,
The smiles of joy we gaze on,
The friends we count most dear:
One Friend alone is changeless,
The One too oft forgot,
Whose love hath stood for ages—
Our Jesus changeth not.
“The sweetest flower of summer
That sheds its fragrance round
Ere evening comes oft withers
And lies upon the ground;
The dark and dreary desert
Has only one green spot,
‘Tis found in living pastures—
Our Jesus changeth not.
“Clouds soon o’ercast our sunshine
So beautiful, so bright,
And while we still admire it
It darkens into night:
One sky alone is cloudless
Where darkness enters not,
’Tis found alone with Jesus—
And Jesus changeth not.
“E’en friendship’s smile avails not
To cheer us here below,
For smiles are all deceitful,
They quickly ebb and flow:
One smile alone can gladden,
Whate’er the pilgrim’s lot,
It is the smile of Jesus—
And Jesus changeth not.
“And thus our bark moves onward
O’er life’s tempestuous sea,
While death’s unsparing finger
Is stamped on all we see
But faith has found a refuge
Where hope deceiveth not,
Our life is hid with Jesus—
And Jesus changeth not.”