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
“The wilderness of Sin,” (Exod. 16:1)
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.