A Pilgrim and a Stranger

A pil­grim and a strang­er

I jour­ney here be­low;

Far dist­ant is my coun­try

The home to which I go.

Here I must toil and tra­vail

Oft weary and oppressed

But there my God shall lead me

To ev­er­last­ing rest.

I’ve met with storms and dan­ger

E’en from my ear­ly years

With ene­mies and con­flicts

With fight­ings and with fears.

There’s no­thing here that tempts me

To wish a long­er stay

So I must hast­en for­ward

No halt­ing or de­lay.

It is a wellworn path­way;

A host has gone be­fore

The ho­ly saints and pro­phets

The pa­tri­archs of yore.

They trod the toilsome jour­ney

In pa­tience and in faith;

And them I fain would fol­low

Like them in life and death.

Who would share Ab­r’am’s bless­ing

Must Ab­r’am’s path pur­sue

A stran­ger and a pil­grim

Like him

must jour­ney thro’.

The foes must be en­coun­tered

The dan­gers must be passed;

A faith­ful sol­dier on­ly

Receives the crown at last.

So I must hast­en for­ward

Thank God

the end will come!

This land of pass­ing sha­dows

Is not my des­tined home.

That ev­er­more ab­id­eth

The ev­er­last­ing ci­ty

Jerusalem ab­ove

This ev­er­more ab­id­eth

The home of light and love.

There still my thoughts are dwell­ing

’Tis there I long to be;

Come

Lord

and call Thy serv­ant

To bless­ed­ness with Thee.

Come

bid my toils be end­ed

Let all my wan­d’rings cease;

Call from the way­side lodg­ing

To Thy sweet home of peace.

There I shall dwell for­ev­er

No more a part­ing guest

With all Thy bloodbought child­ren

In ev­er­last­ing rest

The pil­grim toils for­got­ten

The pil­grim con­flicts o’er

All earth­ly griefs be­hind me

Eternal joys be­fore.