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93

March 16 THE ASCENSION WAY

“Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? . . . He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart.”—Ps. xxiv. 3, 4.

Not this the way, the flowery track,
If thou would'st witness to the end
Or like the Saviour not look back,
And with Him too in heart ascend;
Count not the playthings thou may'st lack,
Nor fear with foemen to contend.
The way, dear Master, unto Thee
Lies through the grey Gethsemane.
Not this the way, by pleasant fields
And many a bright and murmuring fount,
Where pleasure all its harvest yields,
Up to the calm Ascension Mount;
With broken swords and battered shields,
Not gold, we swell our sweet account.
And those, that pay no battle debt,
Will never rise to Olivet.
Not this the way, as others go—
The many moved by worldly will,
Who seek the upper springs below
And peace with passions never still;
No mocking shade, no passing show,
For hearts that God himself must fill.
The tops of Truth, the broader sky,
Are only reached from Calvary.
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