Mother, read aloud her Bible to me.
One morning, when I was six years old,
I saw a form passing, It was Jesus,
The Tree of Life, The street of gold.
This vision of youth has been in my mind,
These eighty-four years--His wonders told,
How Jesus can save and surmount them all;
To walk with Him the street of gold.
I have never again seen Christ this way,
Nor anyone else have ever told,
That they saw the Lord at this early age;
Moving along the street of gold.
II.
As my flesh grew older I found that it,
Had a nature against Christ so bold,
It would sin against God in His presence;
To drag me from the street of gold.
The older I grew my nature of sin,
Developed so fast, with sins so bold,
I lost all sense of my fitness with God;
And walk with Him the street of gold.
I tried to find God with my human mind,
For nothing alive was in my soul,
It was dead in sin, far away from God;
And could not walk the street of gold.
Here and there I fled for life and found none,
As the horrors of my sins unfold,
And the shame of my nature appalled me;
Robbing me of the street of gold.
As I came to my self Satan had me,
With my nature like his to control, (Epr. 2:1).
He killed my soul with sin to debar me;
From walking up the street of gold.
III.
Down from this street of gold came a message,
The gladdest news that ever was told,
That Jesus Christ gave His life to save me;
And walk with Him the street of gold.
I learned by this that Jesus first sought me,
No one else could have rescued my soul,
And by my faith in His blood He saved me,
And walk with Him the street of gold.
IV.
When I came to myself Jesus had me,
Gave the Life of His blood to my soul,
And the light of His nature He gave me;
To walk with Him the street of gold.
In His Name I was buried in baptism, (Col. 2:12).
With this sign of His death to uphold,
And the angels rejoiced when they saw me;
In His grave on the street of gold.
Into the Name of God I was buried, (Romans 6:4).
In the Jordan grave of Christ so cold. (Mark 1:9-11).
And my conscience rejoiced with its answer, (I Peter 3:21).
In His grave on the street of gold.
V.
In a newness of life I am living,
With the life of my Savior as goal,
It's the battle of my life to gain it;
As I walk up the street of gold.
In these battles for Christ I am fighting,
Against my fleshy nature so bold,
To blind my eyes with sin and rebelion;
So I can't see the street of gold.
VI.
Here, a voice came and said, "Preach my gospel,"
This new Life God has given your soul,
Then like Moses of old I declined it;
But would stay on the street of gold.
For fourteen years I choose my work for God.
Then I broke down by this sin so bold,
Then the light of my Savior shone through me;
As I preached on the street of gold.
When I began to preach for our Saviour,
And His wonderful Love to unfold;
Then those who gave their assent believed it,
And walk with Christ the street of gold.
After trying my best for my home Church,
As their pastor, again I was told;
To step down; Which discouraged me so much,
As pastor, on the street of gold.
One day, an other, was preaching the word,
An Eye of Glory said to my soul,
"Never be discouraged by what you meet,
As you preach, on the street of gold."
This was said to me fifty years ago,
Through this long time it has kept its hold,
On my spirit of trust, Never to sway;
As I work on the street of gold.
For fifty seven years I tried to preach,
The gospel of Christ in wonders told,
In the Bible of God for all to read,
And walk with Him the street of gold.
VII.
For good works I was created in Christ, (Eph. 2:10).
All the works of His Kingdom uphold;
And speed through all nations and tell them,
To come and walk the street of gold.
Here, my labor for Christ is imperfect,
By the weight of my flesh on my soul,
But up there I can serve with perfection;
As I serve (Rev. 22:3) on the street of gold.
I shall find when up there I can serve Him,
With a joy that no words ever told,
And I'll speed through all Heaven to please Him;
As I serve up the street of gold.
VII.
Through a long earthly life God has brought me,
Borne along in His arms as I'm told, (Is. 46:4).
Thus upheld in old age He delight me;
As we go up the street of gold.
This promise of God shines out from His Word,
And can only be reached by the old,
It will satisfy them with what it brings; (Ps. 91:16).
To them who walk the street of gold.
God will show His salvation from old age,
To all those who His Word will uphold;
Old age of body will give youth to soul,
To those who walk the street of gold.
VIII.
When I come to the valley of shaddows, (Ps. 23:4).
Where my flesh will drop loose from my soul, (2 Cor. 5:1).
Then the beauty of the Lord will clothe me,
As I walk up the street of gold.
I shall see there the City of glory,
And its splendor shall never grow old;
And a diadem of youth will crown me,
As I walk up the street of gold.
I shall find there the River of pleasure,
With is ripples of joy to unfold,
The glory of my Savior through ages;
As I walk up the street of gold.
I shall see there the King in His beauty,
Whom no man while on earth can behold,
Then transformed by my Savior I'll see Him;
When high up on the street of gold.
After being there, where time is no more (Rev. 10:6).
And ages on ages o'er us roll,
Where nature of ages give youth to all;
Glory to God for street of gold.
