Zeal in Labor

by Horatius Bonar

Go, labor on; spend and be spent,

Thy joy to do the Father's will;

It is the way the Master went;

Should not the servant tread it still?

Go, labor on; 'tis not for naught;

Thine earthly loss is heavenly gain;

Men heed thee, love thee, praise thee not;

The Master praises--what are men?

Go, labor on; your hands are weak;

Your knees are faint, your soul cast down;

Yet falter not; the prize you seek

Is near--a kingdom and a crown!

Toil on, faint not; keep watch, and pray!

Be wise the erring soul to win;

Go forth into the world's highway;

Compel the wanderer to come in.

Toil on, and in thy toil rejoice:

For toil comes rest, for exile home;

Soon shalt thou hear the Bridegroom's voice,

The midnight peal, "Behold, I come!"