Across the deep chasm which nothing could fill,
Since man was from Paradise driven;
The Great Engineer, with remarkable skill,
Constructed a railway to Heaven.
The span of the bridge is a marvel of strength
And exquisite beauty combined;
Its spacious dimensions in breadth and in length,
The Artist of Heaven designed.
With Love for the base, the foundations are sure,
No force can the structure displace;
Its girders of Mercy will ever endure,
Supported by pillars of Grace.
The rails of true Peace, which were made for this line,
On sleepers of Pardon are laid;
And infinite Wisdom which formed the design,
The cost of the structure defrayed.
The wires of Communion extended with care
From earth to the station above;
The current of Faith from the battery of Prayer,
Can act on the magnet of Love.
With movements produced by a motor Divine
Which matchless perfection displays;
The engine of Truth, as it moves up the line,
The train of salvation conveys.
The tunnel of Death, at the end of this line,
Is sometimes an object of fear;
But signals, reflecting a Victory, shine,
Denoting—“The Passage is clear.”
To agents who manage the stations on earth
The Spirit of Life has been given;
The chief booking-office is called “The New Birth,”
Where tickets are issued for Heaven.
(John iii. 7.)
(Author unknown.)
We love to carry a heaven to heaven with us, and would have two summers in one year, and no less than two heavens. But this will not do for us; one (and such a one!) may well suffice us. The man, Christ, got but one only, and shall we have two?
—Samuel Rutherford.