Tht voyage is o’er, our precious one;
And thou hast safely reached the shore,
Where He was first to welcome thee,
Who passed through death’s dark waves before:
Thy spirit, with the Lord above;
Thy body sleeps beneath the wave;
And while His arm enfolds thee there,
His eye rests on thy ocean grave.
Yes, thou hast reached that haven first,
Where soon our longing souls would be;
There will be no more partings there—
No tears—no death—and “No more sea.”
Our loving hearts had craved for thee
Recovered health, in distant lands;
But Christ had better things in store,
For “all thy times were in His hands.”
Lord Jesus! thou hast loved our child,
E’en with a deeper love than we:
And swiftly steered this fragile barque
Across life’s dark tempestuous sea.
“Far better” this, than lengthened years
Of health and strength on earth could be;
Far better” to be safe in port,
For evermore, O Lord, with Thee.
In Thee midst grief and loneliness,
Our hearts their only solace know;
It “touches” Thee, for Thou vast once
A “man of sorrows” here below.
And on that tender heart of Thine,
Where rests our child for evermore,
We, too, can rest, and weep and wait,
Until the “little while” be o’er.
We are not severed, —Lord, in Thee—
We still are one in life and love;
And soon, one family, shall bow
In worship round thy throne above.
Soon—at Thy voice—shall earth and sea
To Thee yield up the precious dead;
And they and we together meet
In glory with our risen Head.
Here, then, for the present I pause. May the Lord graciously deign to use this little memorial of our beloved departed one, in blessing to the soul of the reader. If he be unconverted, may it be used to rouse him thoroughly to a sense of his guilt and danger, so that he may flee from the coming wrath, and find pardon and peace in Jesus. And, then, if he be a true Christian, let me remind him of one of Robert’s last utterances— “I AM SORRY I DID NOT LIVE NEARER TO JESUS!”
And may each member of the stricken family circle emerge at heaven’s side of these deep waters, with more purity of heart, more singleness of eye, and more firm purpose to tread the path of entire consecration to Christ—His glory and His cause!
“With mercy and with judgment,
My web of time He wove;
And aye the dews of sorrow
Were lustered with His love.
I’ll bless the hand that guided;
I’ll bless the heart that planned,
When throned where glory dwelleth
In Immanuel’s land.”