Stay where thou art

Stay where thou art, thou canst not better be,
For thou art pure and noble as thou’rt sweet,
And thy firm faith still working, will complete
A lovely picture of the Deity.
For ‘tis in thee, mild maid, and such as thee,
Whose goodness would make any features fair,
I find the hope that bids me not despair,
But know there is a Saviour even for me.
May God in mercy from thy knowledge hide
All but the path in which thou art advancing.
For evil things there are, on either side,
Dark flames on one, like antic demons dancing,
And on the left a desert waste and wide,
Where is no chart, no compass, and no guide.