Stay, Master, Stay

Stay

Mas­ter

stay

up­on this heav­en­ly hill;

A lit­tle long­er

let us lin­ger still;

With these two migh­ty ones of old be­side

Near to the Aw­ful Pre­sence still ab­ide.

Before the gates of light we trem­bling stand

And touch the veil that hides the spir­it land.

Stay

Mas­ter

stay! we breathe a pur­er air;

We soar aloft in com­mune

praise and pray­er;

Thoughts

feel­ings

flash­es

glimps­es come and go;

We can­not speak them—nay

we do not know:

Wrapped in this cloud of light we seem to be

The thing we fain would grow eter­nal­ly.

No! saith the Lord

the hour is past; we go:

Our home

our life

our du­ties lie be­low.

While here we kneel up­on the mount of pray­er

The plough lies wait­ing in the fur­row there:

Here we have sought to learn His heav­en­ly will;

There we must do it—serve Him

seek Him still.

If man as­pires to reach the mount of God

O’er the dull plains of earth must lie the road;

He who best does his low­ly du­ty here

Shall soar the far­thest in that lof­ti­er sphere:

In God’s high work we find His pro­mised rest;

And he is near­est Him who serves Him best.