Come on, companions of our way.
         Who travel to eternal day
         Through this poor world of night;
         Give to the Lord, in noble songs,
         The praise that to His name belongs,
         As children of the light.

         Called out of darkness, by His voice,
         Be that clear shining path our choice,
         Which Christ our captain trod!
         Whether with flowers and fragrance crown'd,
         Or thorns and thistle interwound,
         It leads the soul to God.

         Though pilgrims in a vale of woes,
         Thick-strown with snares, and thronged with foes;
         Since Jesus journey'd through,
         Plant but your steps where his have prest
         The ground once curst,—that ground now blest
         Is heaven's highway for you.

         To heaven, to heaven then march we on,
         Go where our conquering Lord hath gone!
         Thus where He is shall we
         In joy behold Him face to face,
         And, changed by glorifying grace,
         Resemble Him we see.
                                                    James Montgomery


Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.  Psalms 39:12

How settled soever their condition be, yet this is the temper of the saints upon earth to count themselves but strangers.  All men indeed are strangers and sojourners, but the saints do best discern it, and most freely acknowledge it.  Wicked men have no firm dwelling upon earth, but that is against their intentions; their inward thought and desire is that they may abide for ever; they are strangers against their wills, their abode is uncertain in the world, and they cannot help it.  And pray mark, there are two distinct words used in this case, strangers and sojourners.  A stranger is one that hath his abode in a foreign country, that is not a native and a denizen of the place, though he liveth there, and in opposition to the natives he is called a stranger:  as if a French man should live in England, he is a stranger.  But a sojourner is one that intendeth not to settle, but only passeth through a place, and is in motion travelling homeward.  So the children of God in relation to a country of their own in another place, namely, heaven, they are denizens there, but strangers in the world; and they are sojourners and pilgrims in regard of their motion and journey towards their country.
                                                                                                                                         Thomas Manton