"Thoughts of Home;
I've been thinking of home,
of "my Father's house,
Where the many mansions be,"
Of the city whose streets are paved with gold,
Of its jasper walls, so fair to behold,
Which the righteous alone shall see.
I've been thinking of home,
where they need not the light
Of the sun, nor moon, nor star;
Where the gates of pearl
"are not shut by day,
For no night is there,"
but the weary may
Find rest from the world afar.
I've been thinking of home,
of the river of life
That flows through the city so pure; Of the tree that stands
by the side of the stream,
Whose leaves in mercy
with blessings teem,
The sin-wounded soul to cure.
I 've been thinking of home,
of the loved ones there,
Dear friends who have gone before, With whom we walked
to the death river side,
And sadly thought,
as we watched the tide,
Of the happy days of yore.
I've been thinking of home,
and my heart is full
Of love for the Lamb of God,
Who His precious life
as a ransom gave
For a simple race,
e'en our souls to save
From justice's avenging rod.
I've been thinking of home,
and I 'm homesick now;
My spirit doth long to be
In "the better land,"
where the ransomed sing
Of the love of Christ,
their Redeemer, King,
Of mercy so costly, so free.
I've been thinking of home, yea,
"home, sweet home;
O, there may we all unite
With the white-robed throng,
and forever raise
To the triune God
sweetest songs of praise,
With glory, and honor, and might!"
Found in Samuel Rutherford's
Garden of Spices.
