Faith's Speculations To The Worst And Hardest,

I Hang By A Thread, But It Is (if I May So Speak) Of Christ's Spinning

You Will Not Get To Steal Quietly Into Heaven, Into Christ's Company, Without A Conflict And A Cross. I Find Crosses To Be Christ's Carved Work That He Marks Out For Us And That With Crosses He Portraits Us To His Own Image, Cutting Away Pieces Of Our Ill And Corruption. Lord Cut - Lord Carve - Lord Wound - Lord Do Anything That May Perfect Thy Father's Image In Us And Make Us Ready For Glory.

When We Shall Come Home, And Enter Into The Possession Of Our Brother's Fair Kingdom, And When Our Heads Shall Find The Weight Of The Eternal Crown Of Glory, Then We Shall Look Back To Pains And Sufferings And Then We Will See Life And Sorrow To Be Less Than One Step Or Stride From A Prison To Glory. Our Little Inch Of Time-suffering Is Not Worthy Of Our First Night's Welcome-home To Heaven.

I Know You Are In Grief And Heaviness; And If It Were Not So, You Might Be Afraid, Because Then Your Way Would Not Be So Like The Way That Our Lord Saith Leadeth To The New Jerusalem. Sure I Am, If You Knew What Were Before You, Or If You Saw Some Glances Of It, You Would, With Gladness, Swim Through The Present Floods Of Sorrow, Spreading Forth Your Arms Out Of Desire To Be At Land.

It Is Certain That This Is Not Only Good Which The Almighty Has Done, But That It Is Best; He Hath Reckoned All Your Steps To Heaven.