There is a cross of hea­vy weight,
For ev­ery hu­man life to bear;
There is a chap­let formed of thorns
For each and ev­ery brow to wear.
Oh! when the cross of pain and woe
Shall soon for­ev­er be laid down,
May we re­ceive in re­com­pense,
A beau­ti­ful and fade­less crown.

A cross of toil and world­ly grief,
A bur­den of sus­pense and care,
Has life im­posed up­on us all,
And each its hea­vy load must bear.
The clouds may low­er ov­er­head,
The bright stars fade be­fore our eyes,
Yet faith shall point us out the path
Where sac­ri­fice, where du­ty lies.

A crown awaits each faith­ful heart,
Each ear­nest, self de­ny­ing soul,
That car­ries cheer­ful­ly the cross,
To death’s cold, un­re­lent­ing goal.
And where the veil shall melt away,
Disclosing Hea­ven’s end­less bliss;
The crown of love shall com­pen­sate
The cross of such a life as this.