Pilgrim Walks
If Pilgrim walked a thousand leagues
O’er coals and shards of broken pain
If once to look the narrow way
With questioned hope and self restraint
If right and left were set before
And straight the way made good and clear
With ever thoughts of ease did labour on
Refusing all the Cross to bear
What profit in these things would find
A man with no distain for fleshy life
What purpose in these things would show?
If comprehending nought but certain woes
To wink sweet vanity and self repose
Discomfort all and looks of being shamed
Take nothing more than foolish gain
And in it all be found alone
To press with joy the narrow way
Makes nothing sure its course ne’r run
Nor left nor right but straight and true
Will of itself accomplish none?
Except ye first conceive to know
What lies ahead this way to go?
And by such choosing grasp this truth
That Christ Himself bore man’s reproof
To look ahead in purpose straight
A profit for our Lord to reap
It will be found in certain measure
The fool has run himself to gain
But gain for self and none for Christ
Is gain not all but gain for one
Though gain had been as He did gain
Would gain for all and gain indeed
Ahead the road is made “The Cross”
And so The Cross tis sought for hope
Faith and Truth that in His body won
The cost of life was borne in full
And there yet set another measure
The scales of which weigh works and deeds
Now will that man take more concern
To labour well by Christ indeed
Walk on walk on a thousand leagues
We labour now no more concerned
With worthless purpose vain conceit
With faithless thoughts and foolish faith
Cast down to furrowed ground made good
Where seed will die and broken, grow
Thirty, sixty and an hundred fold
Thy portion Lord Thy harvest knows
And when by faith at journey on
Obedience still remains and hopes
Ne’r left nor right but straight and true
The fullness of thy servant makes
To look and then to comprehend
Great weights and scales before Thee set
In one last cry in Hope secure
To throw ourselves upon Thy rest
For though we walk ten thousand leagues
Or bear The Cross as set before
It is The Cross behind us now
Which Christ our Lord and Saviour bore
What count we now our little done?
If done in strength and of our own
If not His strength but ours we labour
We would have laboured not at all
Tis all His gain tis all His good
Ours the chaff before the wind
Would better yet to labour not
Than labour false ne’r true to Him
When harvest comes and wheat and tares
Are by His word made clear
We find that tares are we and sure
What wail and cry what gnash of teeth
But grief by Christ will not in measure
Of just one soul by foolish labour
It will by many as the sand
Which would not go that narrow way
Consider Christ and all His efforts
Consider Christ His labours done
Consider God His purpose known
To bring us all to Christ His Son
With selfish thoughts and ease we see
The loss which faithless labour proves
Consider Christ in Truth and Hope
Gave His life that we should choose
And having chosen Christ and all
Let Christ and all be to our choice
Made certain by our choosing Him
The narrow way of Christ at last
Andrew M R Kelly
Bodmin 25th October 2012