First discovered this poem in high school in a thick volume of religious verse that belonged to my dad's dad. I memorized the 2nd stanza at the time and often find it playing in my head, but only just thought to look to find the full text. The Hidden Line (The Destiny of Men) by Joseph Addison Alexander There is a time, we know not when, A point we know not where, That marks the destiny of men To glory or despair. There is a line by us unseen, That crosses every path; The hidden boundary between God’s patience and his wrath. To pass that limit is to die– To die as if by stealth; It does not quench the beaming eye Or pale the glow of health. The conscience may be still at ease, The spirit lithe and gay; That which pleases still may please, And care be thrust away But on that forehead God has set, Indelibly a mark Unseen by men, for men as yet Are blind and in the dark And yet doomed man’s path below May bloom as Eden bloomed; He did not, does not, will not know, Or feel that he is doomed He knows, he feels that all is well, And every fear is calmed; He lives, he dies, he wakes in hell, Not only doomed, but damned. Oh, where is this mysterious bourn By which our path is crossed; Beyond which God himself hath sworn, That he who goes is lost. How far may we 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, "Ye that from God depart, While it is called today, repent, And harden not your heart."