The way is long! Come near to me;
I cannot live afar from Thee,
Nor journey to my home above,
Unless Thou aid me with Thy love.
So many errors clog my soul —
So many evils round me roll:
I faint with all the weary strife —
Come near me, Lord, for Thou art life.
The thorns seem thicker than the bloom,
Edging the pathway to the tomb:
They pierce — and whither shall I flee,
Except, dear Lord, I flee to Thee?
Come near at morning, noon, and night;
Be Thy sweet presence my delight;
Thy gracious comfort freely give,
That I may look to Thee and live.
And, oh at last when I shall feel
The damps of death upon me steal,
Disclose to my dim, fading eyes,
The opening gate of Paradise.
