HE sat by a furnace of sevenfold heat,
As He watched by the precious ore:
And closer He bent, with a searching gaze,
As He heated it more and more.
He knew He had ore that could stand the test;
And He wanted the finest gold—
To mold as a crown for the King to wear,
Set with gems of a price untold.
So He laid our gold in the burning fire,
Though we fain would have said Him nay;
And He watched the dross that we had not seen
As it melted and passed away.
Then the gold grew brighter and yet more bright;
But our eyes were dim with tears,
We saw but the fire—not the Master’s Hand,
And questioned with anxious fears.
Yet our gold shone out with a richer glow,
Till it mirrored a Form above,
That bent o’er the fire, unseen by us,
With looks of ineffable love.
Can we think that it pleases His loving heart
To cause us a moment’s pain?
Ah! no, but He saw through the present cross
The bliss of eternal gain.
So He waited there with a watchful eye,
With a love that was strong and sure;
And His gold did not suffer a whit more heat
Than was needed to make it pure
“When He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”— Joshua 23:10