“Make haste!”
The gracious summons fell on ears
Attent to hear, above the noise of life.
The worldly throng unheeding pass’d along,
But he who half-unconsciously had sought
To see the Saviour as He went that way,
Had climbed above the hindrances of earth
With the one thought intent―to see the Lord!
He heard the gentle summons, met the look,
That wondrous look of love which on him fell,
And thought not how intent his own had been.
Not so the Lord!
And He had caught that glance, and saw it all,
The vague life-longing which that look expressed,
The tale it told of sorrow and of
Of hope deferred, and vain regrets which moaned
Over the stranded wrecks of early years,
And now the longing for a helping hand,
A sympathizing heart, a Saviour’s love.
He saw it all; and then He gave him back
A glance all fall of purest sympathy,
Of tenderness, which could not brook delay,
A glance which uttered, e’er the words were said,
“Make haste! Come down, I want thee here with Me,
And well I know that thou want’st Me; but I
Have sought thee sorrowing these many years.”
And the glad heart responded to the can,
Opened the door and took the Saviour in,
And joyfully abode inside with Him,
And such the history of a seeking soul
A seeking Saviour too.
Oh! is it thine?
Hast thou beheld His look of speechless love,
Or heard His gentle call, “Come unto Me,”
And answering to it gone to dwell with Him
If not, delay no longer, but make baste,
Come to the Saviour now, for night is near,
The night of judgment on this guilty world,
And which must fall on thee, if not shut in,
Before the storm descends―at home with.
Long has it lingered, but ‘twill surely come,
And from the darkening terror of that day,
I fain would speed thy steps!
Oh, it will be
A night of hopeless sorrow and of pain,
Of anguish all unknown throughout the past;
When never more His look of love thou’ It see,
Or hear His voice with its rich harmony,
Sounding the invitations of His love.
But all that will remain is one long night
Of endless wild despair!
A night without
One single gleam of hope to cheer the soul,
Or break the awful darkness and the gloom,
Nothing but horror of a great despair
An agony of hopelessness and loss,
And bitter memories of rejected love.
And far away,
A glimpse of what is gone,
Gone past beyond recall forever now!
A glory streaming through an open door
From the glad Father’s House.
And sounds of joy
And song,
As if a Master Hand had struck
Some chord of deep and wondrous harmony,
Which flooded ah the atmosphere with joy,
And thrilled and quivered through the universe,
Shall float unto thine ears.
And thou shalt see
The Father welcoming each wanderer borne,
The Saviour beckoning each redeemed one in,
While thou’rt shut out forever from the joy,
Shut out forever from the light and love
Oh! can’st thou bear a future such as this?
And wilt thou brave a lost eternity?