1 Thessalonians 3:5

I KNOW that I, a stranger
And pilgrim, here must roam,
Finding no rest, or portion,
Till Jesus takes me home.
O I’m yearning for the glory!
My heart sinks by the way:
Weeping I cry, “Come, Jesus,
I can no longer stay.”

But He answered, “Be not weary;
Thou canst suffer naught for me
When thou reignest in my glory,
If I tarry, patient be.

Ah! once as a fair witness
The Church for her Lord was set;
But now all lies in ruins,
No stones together left.
Her light is lost in darkness,
And little lamps flicker alone;
Surely their rays are useless,
Since the great light is gone.

But He spake in tones of love,
“E’en though all the darkness fill,
Thy small light is seen alters:
Let it shine in patience still:”

Must not I pine to see Him,
When I think of my cold heart,
That it cannot grasp His love
Whilst I know Him but in part!
How long before the day breaks!
How long before I rise
To meet my Lord of glory
With rapture in the skies!

And the answer came to soothe me,
“Only watch a little while;
All my strength and love is with thee;
And ye wait beneath my smile.”

I bow me to Thy word, Lord,
To labor, sing, and wait;
To watch for Thine appearing,
When the crooked shall be straight:
Knowing that, if Thou terriest,
Thou wouldst have me working on,―
Not murmuring at darkness,
Or, pining to be gone.

Only keep, me close beside Thee,
And hold my trembling hand,
And let me lean upon Thee,
Till I reach my own fair land.

Ah, thus I’ll wait, and love Thee
For Thy gracious delay:
The perils gather round me,
And straiter grows the way.
Though darkness gathers thicker,
And e’en love waxes cold,
May I but stand the firmer,
And tight Thy banner hold.

In patience I gaze upward,
And mine eyes are fix’d on Thee,
Hearkening to catch Thy voice, Lord,
Which will shout ma up to Thee.

A. C. C.

Fragments.
Satan, the flesh, and the world, all say “Fear;” God says, “Fear not.”
Law is like a hedge. It should have kept men within bounds; but if there were no hedge, there would be no transgression.
The believer must first be a worshipper (as Abel); then a walker with God (as Enoch); and then a witness for God (as Noah).
Love for Christ is the law of the Christian’s life.
Why does God allow us to be conquered sometimes by Satan? ―To drive us to Christ.
Those who don’t feed much on Christ, don’t eat much of the bitter herbs.
Though our flesh is as grass, Christ’s flesh is real meat, and His blood real drink.
Nearness to Christ is the way to be near each other.
“There is always strength in looking to God; but if the mind rests upon the weakness, otherwise than to rest it upon God, it becomes unbelief.”
“There are two sorts of religion in the world: one, in which men profess to be saved by good works which they never do; the other, in which men do good works, and yet disclaim all merit from their performance.”

How different were the confessions of Baalam and Peter. Baalam spoke of himself three times as the man whose eyes are open. Peter cried out three times, “Thou knowest that I love thee.” How wide the contrast between seeing and loving, or knowledge that puffeth up and love that buildeth up! It is to be feared, that many who have only knowledge of the letter of Scripture are really like wicked Baalam, not loving Christ, but loving the wages of unrighteousness. God will search this out. True believers can say, “We love Him because He first loved us.”

I have dwelt much upon those words, “Grace and Peace be multiplied,” and I think that something of spiritual arithmetic has been shown to me.

Let me take the figure I alone, it makes but 1; let me bring a cipher beside the 1, and 1 is 10, and another, and it makes 100, and another, and it makes 1000, sometimes by Christ is this 1 to me. I bring my nothingness to Him, and to me His value is increased; and just in proportion as I bring more and more of my unworthiness beside His excellence, just so much is His “grace and peace multiplied” to me.

Truth without love is a poor thing, but love, though it is accompanied by a little truth, is always acceptable.

Whatever murmurings there were, the manna came all the same. The inner man is renewed day by day.