The Border of His Sanctuary

Glorious and solemn hour,

Thus at last to stand,

All behind us the great desert,

All before, the land!

Past the shadow of the valley,

Past the weary plain;

Past the rugged mountain pathway,

Ne'er to be again.

And before us, ever stretching

In its golden sheen,

Lies the fair, the blessed country

Where our hearts have been—

Where our hearts have been whilst wandering

Through the desert bare;

For the soul's adored, beloved One,

He abideth there.

Clad in love and glory stands He

On that glowing shore,

There to speak the blessed welcome,

All our journeyings o'er.

Now at last our eyes behold Him,

At His feet we fall;

Two and three have we adored Him,

Now are gathered all.

All His saints from all the ages,

Every clime and tongue,

All together now we worship

In a faultless song.

In the song no discord troubles

And no weakness mars,

Sound we loud His Name beloved

Far beyond the stars.

That blest song, first sung in glory

By His lips divine,

Now, in chorus deep and endless

All his ransomed join.

Glorious and solemn hour,

On the verge to stand

Of that endless day of worhsip,

Of that blessed land!

Not our sorrow we remember,

All is lost in bliss—

But our shame gives deeper sweetness

To the Father's kiss.

Shame—that all that desert journey

Nothing more could prove

Than the marvels of His patience,

How divine His love.

Tale of weakness, sin, and folly,

Tale of wandering feet—

Tale of strength, and grace, and wisdom,

Victory complete.

Sin and death and Satan trodden

'Neath those feet at length,

In the glory of His triumph,

Greatness of His strength.

Solemn hour—thus on the margin

Of that wondrous day,

When the former things have vanished,

Old things passed away.

Nothing but Himself before us,

Every shadow past—

Sound we loud our word of witness,

For it is the last.

One last word of solemn warning

To the world below—

One loud shout, that all may hear us

Hail Him ere we go!

Once more let that Name be sounded

With a trumpet tone—

Here, amidst the thickening darkness,

Then, before the throne.