The Fatal Crossing

There is a time, we know not when:
A place we know not where;
Which marks the destiny of man,
For glory or despair.

There is a line by us unseen,
That crosses every path;
The hidden boundary between
God's mercy and His wrath.

To pass that limit, is to die;
To die as if by stealth,
It does not quench the beaming eye,
Nor pale the glow of health.

The conscience may be still at ease,
The spirit light and gay;
That which is pleasing, still may please,
And care be thrust away.

Oh! where is this mysterious bourne
By which our path is crossed?
Beyond which God Himself has sworn,
That he who goes is lost?

How long may I go on in sin?
How long will God forbear?
Where does hope end, and where begin
The confines of despair?

An answer from the skies is sent,
"You that from God depart;
While it is called Today, repent,
And harden not your heart."

Unknown Author - Dr. Alexander ???