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THE 
 
 Welcome of Christ 
 
 TO 
 
 PARADISE, 
 
 % ^torp of €a#tzz €ben. 
 
 BY 
 
 WILLIAM WILBERFORCE NEWTON. 
 
 
 jr 
 
 \ 
 
 J, B. HARRISON, Publisher, 
 PITTSFIELD, MASS. 
 
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 .N53W4- 
 
 "|>e UescenUeU into tfje place of UeptteU spirits: 
 tfje tljirU Uaj> |)e rose from tjje Ueati/* 
 
 — Apostles' Creed. 
 
 »-<i < > '—< 
 
k 
 
 THE WELCOME OF CHRIST TO PARADISE. 
 
 THE COMING. 
 
 He cometh ! Lo, He cometh ! 
 
 From earth His Spirit flies ; 
 The dead Christ laid in Joseph's tomb 
 
 Is nearing Paradise. 
 See ! on the far horizon, 
 
 Upborne on angel's wing, 
 Ten thousand souls redeemed and saved 
 
 Are crowding round their King ! 
 
 
 •+— <►-* 
 
-+*-<>--* 
 
 He cometh ! Lo, He cometh ! 
 
 The darkness now is past — 
 And we who cried, How long, O Lord, 
 
 Shall see His face at last ; 
 The saint, the sage, the prophet, 
 
 Who saw by faith's pure ray 
 This far-off hour of final joy, 
 
 Shall greet their Lord to-day. 
 
 Behold the Bridegroom cometh ! 
 
 Hark to the deafening psalm ! 
 With chorus notes, with victor crowns, 
 
 With amaranth and palm, 
 The souls redeemed in Paradise 
 
 Are hurrying on their way ; 
 Oh ! go ye out to meet Him, 
 
 And greet your Lord to-day. 
 
 ii. 
 recitative. 
 
 'Twas Michael, the valiant archangel, servant of God 
 
 for His people, 
 Prince of the Host of the Lord, who thus to a group 
 
 in the meadow 
 Spoke of this day of deliverance, and told of the 
 
 coming of Jesus, 
 
 ►4~* — » i < 
 
*— t— * > i < 
 
 Pausing to rest for a space, as he stood by the banks 
 
 of the river, — 
 The River of Water of Life, — and pointed the way 
 
 towards the sun-gate, 
 Bathed in a golden light, while the purple shades of 
 
 the mountains, 
 Touched with its crests of lire, flared beacons of 
 
 welcome and worship. 
 
 Out on the Highway of Peace, which, led towards the 
 
 arch of the sun-gate, 
 The pathway which spirits redeemed trod as they 
 
 came from Earth's darkness, 
 Angels and children and seraphs, with the spirits of 
 
 just men made perfect, 
 Flocked round the triumphing Christ, and welcomed 
 
 Him King in His beauty; 
 Welcomed Him God and yet human, Saviour and 
 
 King of Immortals, 
 Brother and Helper of Man, Herald and Son of the 
 
 Father, 
 Welcomed Him Hope of the Ages, Seal of the cer- 
 tain hereafter. 
 
 »-<i < > im 
 
-I ■»■ 
 
 III. 
 
 CHORUS OF ANGELS. 
 
 Thou hast come to Thy kingdom and glory. 
 
 Thy redeemed have been waiting for Thee ; 
 We have heard of the terrible story, 
 
 How Thy hands have been nailed to the tree ; 
 We have heard of Gethsemane's sorrow, 
 
 How an angel supported Thee there, 
 And the gloom which our spirits would borrow, 
 
 Grows bright by the answer to prayer. 
 Thou art welcome, O Saviour of mortals, 
 
 All hail to Thy coming again ! 
 Thou hast past the dark dread of death's portals, 
 
 Thou hast opened Thy kingdom to men. 
 The grave could no longer confine Thee, 
 
 For death has been robbed of his power, 
 Nor the spirits in Limbo malign Thee, 
 
 For darkness rules not this blest hour. 
 Ride on ! while Thy prophets and sages 
 
 Pour out their glad anthems before Thee ; 
 Ride on ! while the souls of all ages 
 
 In lowliness bend to adore Thee ; 
 Let the sword of Thy triumph attend Thee : 
 
 Let meekness and righteousness own, 
 While legions of angels defend Thee, 
 
 Their King coming back to His throne ! 
 
 ►-<►—*■ 
 
 ■*—<►—* 
 
_^ _ +-+. 
 
 IV. 
 RECITATIVE. 
 
 Then I saw in my dream, as they passed 
 The cleft in the rock where I stood, 
 
 Eager that form to behold, 
 
 Scanning its features to see 
 
 Saviour and Master in one, 
 Borne home by the angels of God — 
 The face of the Saviour of men ! 
 
 From the sighs of the place of a skull, 
 From the shadows which creep round the tomb, 
 From the doubt and the terror of death, 
 From the gloom and the fear of the grave, 
 That face, all serene in its light, 
 That form, all divine in its power, 
 Had burst from the shell of decay, 
 Had come to its God and its home, 
 As the bead in the moss-covered dell 
 Breathes, sparkles, ascends, and is gone ; 
 As the sun in the cloud-banks of fog 
 Shines on through the shades of the mist, 
 And in shining mounts up through the gloom. 
 
 As once unto men it was given, 
 That face all resplendent with light 
 On the mountain of rapture to see, 
 While the prophets of law and of fire 
 As hostages came to the scene, 
 And the voice of the Father was heard ; 
 
 in » ♦ < 
 
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 So now in this vision of faith 
 The face of the Master I saw, 
 Serene, yet transfigured with joy, 
 Majestic, yet peaceful, at rest — 
 Rejoicing and blessed and calm ! 
 
 While thus on these faces I gazed, 
 And dreaded the heart-beats of Time, 
 Lest the vision should fade on my sight, 
 A group by the wayside I saw — 
 The prophets of God, who their song 
 To Jesus the Conqueror raised. 
 
 v. 
 
 CHORUS OF CHRISTIAN PROPHETS. 
 
 In the niches of time we have stood 
 
 Bearing our witness to Thee ; 
 We have sealed our belief with our blood, 
 
 Thy face, O our Master, to see ; 
 We have spoken, while men in derision 
 
 Have scoffed in a wild despair ; 
 We have heeded the heavenly vision 
 
 With the spirit of humble prayer ; 
 We have answered the voices from heaven, 
 
 God's message we've dared to tell ; 
 We have scattered that holy leaven 
 
 Which has saved a world from hell. 
 
 4- 
 
 -*—<►— * 
 
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 God's workmen in travail and, sorrow, 
 
 God's miners, who dig for the ore, 
 We have lived in the sure to-morrow, 
 
 Our sotils have been weary and sore. 
 In our hearts was a pure desire, 
 
 In our minds was foreknowledge of death ; 
 We have handled that sacred fire 
 
 Which has lived with our dying breath. 
 Time was the space for our tears, 
 
 Strength was the gift of life's span, 
 Existence a burden of years — 
 
 But our field was the spirit of man. 
 
 And now, in the Autumn's gleaning, 
 
 No longer the spirit grieves, 
 For the reaper the sower's meaning 
 
 Learns 'mid the golden sheaves. 
 Thy presence, O Christ, adorning, 
 
 Our palms at Thy feet we lay, 
 The dew of Thy birth is the morning 
 
 Of everlasting day. 
 
 « . » <>-« 
 
 i 
 
If 
 
 VI. 
 RECITATIVE. 
 
 It was then I heard hurrying feet, and lo ! Michael 
 
 my guide stood before me, 
 Leading some awe-stricken sages, who halted and 
 
 stood by the wayside. 
 Taking the hand of the foremost and leading him 
 
 straightway to Jesus, 
 The mailed archangel thus spake, as he screened his 
 
 strong eyes in the sunlight : 
 "These, too, are Thy children, O Master — Thy fol- 
 lowers, O Christ, in the twilight ; 
 Never of Thee have they heard, save the voice which 
 
 has sounded within them ; 
 Never Thy face have they seen, save the light which 
 
 doth lighten the human ; 
 Never Thy hands have they clasped, save the grasp 
 
 of their souls on the conscience — 
 Therefore to them it is given — now, O ! blest King, 
 
 to behold Thee, 
 Bless them, O ! Jesus, our Master — Thy children 
 
 own Thee and love Thee. 
 Following the light which was in them, never misled 
 
 by the darkness." 
 
*-<►- 
 
 VII. 
 CHORUS OF HEATHEN SAGES. 
 
 Lord and Master we are Thine, 
 We are human — Thou divine, 
 Yet for Thee the soul doth pine. 
 
 In the darkness we have head 
 Voices from Thy Holy Word, 
 Thou our spirits' depths hast stirred. 
 
 Deep must ever call to deep, 
 Conscience cannot always sleep, 
 We the truth of God would keep. 
 
 In God's image we are made, 
 With His lineaments arrayed, 
 God within us is obeyed. 
 
 Thou hast spoken to our need, 
 Blessed they who have believed — 
 Seeing not, yet undeceived. 
 
 Saviour Thou of souls unknown, 
 When Thou comest to Thy throne, 
 Place us — place us — near Thine own ! 
 
 +* 
 
..... 
 
 RECITATIVE 
 
 Bui ri I : -ir 
 
 ieir carols : 
 
 - angels and flints. 
 Sage* -.- i s : : : _ i. 
 
 Theii :: It d my ear. 
 
 The voices 7 :". -.dhood confessed. 
 Fresh in iheii fullness 7 song. 
 Res ; :. : nt ten lei an :. pure. 
 7: 7_: ; i I hear. 
 
 the roice 7 the little mes -: ed. 
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 The face ::' the Father behold 
 Then p] g age I said 
 
 To the | stood close by my 
 
 The meaning 7 this would I kn( 
 
 e these r 
 7' lied — 
 
 _ the 7. : ~t :: L7_r7. ::. 7 - -. -- tr. 
 v. : 7 have shared — 
 
 The the night 
 
 7 him 
 7 : j ith woe, 
 g refused 
 
 ears, 
 
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*-*>■ 
 
 IX. 
 CHORUS OF HOLY INNOCENTS. 
 
 Thou art welcome — O, how welcome ; 
 
 Thou the world's expectant King : 
 Early would we go to greet Thee, 
 
 Early songs of welcome sing. 
 To the crowns of Thy rejoicing 
 
 We would add a martyr's gem ; 
 We who died that we might save Thee 
 
 On the plains of Bethlehem, 
 
 By the cruel sword of Herocl 
 
 Ere we passed life's threshold o'er, 
 Like the fragrant early blossom 
 
 Seen and felt but found no more, — 
 For a moment in the gloaming 
 
 Living — uttering but a cry. 
 We have clone our sacred errand — 
 
 Died, that Jesus might not die. 
 
 Others may have lived and suffered, 
 
 Others may have preached Thy word ; 
 Some in kingly state and purple 
 
 May proclaim Thee Christ their Lord ; 
 We have lived that we might spare Thee 
 
 To redeem a world from loss ; 
 We have died that we might bear Thee 
 
 Fellowship upon Thy cross. 
 
 -*>— <►— « 
 
HI < *-4 
 
 X. 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 I raised my head for a moment, the organ notes 
 
 were low, 
 There were chords which stirred my spirit as I felt 
 
 the steady flow 
 Of the thoughts which had overcome me with an 
 
 impulse strong and deep, 
 As kneeling beside the column, I had fallen a 
 
 moment to sleep. 
 I had thought of the tomb in the garden, so empty, 
 
 forsaken, and bare : 
 I had heard the closing anthem, and had knelt for 
 
 the final prayer : 
 It must have been in a moment, Heaven opened on 
 
 my ken, 
 For I saw this glimpse of Paradise, ere we chanted 
 
 the last Amen. 
 Out from the holy silence of these forty days of 
 
 prayer 
 My feet pressed on with the surging crowd in the 
 
 busy thoroughfare, 
 Back to the weary, dreary world, with its cares and 
 
 toils I came, 
 But my heart I had left at the altar rail, enshrined 
 
 with the Master's name. 
 
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 And never can I forget the glimpse of that life that is 
 
 to be, 
 Which came to my soul in that organ strain, while I 
 
 felt what I could not see. 
 And through all my life my faith grows strong as I 
 
 come to Easter Even, 
 And think of the vision, which God vouchsafed, of 
 
 the welcome of Christ to Heaven. 
 
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