Thy joy to do the Father’s will;
It is the way the Master went;
Should not the servant tread it still?
Thy earthly loss is heav’nly gain;
Men heed thee, love thee, praise thee not;
The Master praises, what are men?
Your knees are faint, your souls cast down;
Yet falter not; the prize you seek
Is near, a kingdom and a crown.
The world’s dark night is hastening on;
Speed, speed thy work, cast sloth away,
It is not thus that souls are won.
Without a hope to cheer the tomb;
Take up the torch and wave it wide,
The torch that lights time’s thickest gloom.
Be wise the erring soul to win;
Go forth into the world’s highway,
Compel the wanderer to come in.
For work comes rest, the prize thus won;
Soon shalt thou hear the Master’s voice,
The midnight cry, Behold, I come!