Part 19

4 The seeds which piety and love Have scattered here below, In the fair, fertile fields above To ample harvests grow.

526. L. M. Newton.

Lightning in the Night.

1 A glance from heaven, with sweet effect, Sometimes my pensive spirit cheers: But ere I can my thoughts collect, As suddenly it disappears.

2 So lightning in the gloom of night Affords a momentary day; Disclosing objects full in sight, Which, soon as seen, are snatched away.

3 The lightning's flash did not create The opening prospect it revealed; But only showed the real state Of what the darkness had concealed.

4 Just so, we by a glimpse discern The glorious things within the veil; That, when in darkness, we may learn To live by faith, till light prevail.

527. C. M. J. Newton.

The Changes of Life.

1 The evils that beset our path, Who can prevent or cure? We stand upon the brink of death When most we seem secure.

2 If we to-day sweet peace possess, It soon may be withdrawn; Some change may plunge us in distress Before to-morrow's dawn.

3 Disease and pain invade our health, And find an easy prey; And oft, when least expected, wealth Takes wings and flies away.

4 The gourds from which we look for fruit. Produce us often pain; A worm unseen attacks the root, And all our hopes are vain.

5 Since sin has filled the earth with woe, And creatures fade and die; Lord, wean our hearts from things below, And fix our hopes on high!

528. S. M. Doddridge.

"The Fathers, where are they?"

1 How swift the torrent rolls, That bears us to the sea! The tide that bears our thoughtless souls To vast eternity!

2 Our fathers, where are they, With all they called their own? Their joys, and griefs, and hopes and cares, And wealth and honor gone.

3 God of our fathers, hear, Thou everlasting Friend! While we, as on life's utmost verge, Our souls to thee commend.

4 Of all the pious dead May we the footsteps trace, Till with them, in the land of light, We dwell before thy face.

529. L. M. J. Roscoe.

The Close of Life.

1 My Father! when around me spread I see the shadows of the tomb, And life's bright visions droop and fade, And darkness veils my future doom;

2 O, in that anguished hour I turn With a still trusting heart to thee, And holy thoughts still shine and burn Amid that cold, sad destiny.

3 The stars of heaven are shining on, Though these frail eyes are dim with tears; The hopes of earth indeed are gone; But are not ours the immortal years?

4 Father! forgive the heart that clings Thus trembling to the joys of time; And bid my soul on angel wings Ascend into a purer clime.

530. L. M. Doddridge.

To God pertain the issues of Life and Death.

1 Sovereign of life! before thine eye, Lo! mortal men by thousands die: One glance from thee at once brings down The proudest brow that wears a crown.

2 Banished at once from human sight To the dark grave's mysterious night, Imprisoned in that dusty bed, We hide our solitary head.

3 Yet if my Father's faithful hand Conduct me through this gloomy land, My soul with pleasure shall obey, And follow where he leads the way.

4 The friendly band again shall meet, Again exchange the welcome sweet; The dear familiar features trace, And still renew the fond embrace.

531. C. M. Heber.

Universal Warning of Death.

1 Beneath our feet and o'er our head Is equal warning given: Beneath us lie the countless dead, Above us is the heaven!

2 Their names are graven on the stone, Their bones are in the clay; And ere another day is done, Ourselves may be as they.

3 Our eyes have seen the rosy light Of youth's soft cheek decay, And fate descend in sudden night On manhood's middle day.

4 Our eyes have seen the steps of age Halt feebly towards the tomb; And yet shall earth our hearts engage, And dreams of days to come?

5 Death rides on every passing breeze, He lurks in every flower; Each season has its own disease, Its peril every hour.

532. L. M. J. Taylor.

The Shortness of Life.

1 Like shadows gliding o'er the plain, Or clouds that roll successive on, Man's busy generations pass, And while we gaze their forms are gone.

2 "He lived,--he died;" behold the sum, The abstract of the historian's page! Alike, in God's all-seeing eye, The infant's day, the patriarch's age.

3 O Father! in whose mighty hand The boundless years and ages lie; Teach us thy boon of life to prize, And use the moments as they fly;

4 To crowd the narrow span of life With wise designs and virtuous deeds; And bid us wake from death's dark night, To share the glory that succeeds.

533. C. M. Collyer.

Prayer for Support in Death.

1 When, bending o'er the brink of life, My trembling soul shall stand, And wait to pass death's awful flood, Great God, at thy command;--

2 Thou Source of life and joy supreme, Whose arm alone can save, Dispel the darkness that surrounds The entrance to the grave.

3 Lay thy supporting, gentle hand Beneath my sinking head, And let a beam of light divine Illume my dying bed.

534. L. M. Watts.

Christ's Presence makes Death easy.

1 Why should we start and fear to die! What timorous worms we mortals are! Death is the gate of endless joy, And yet we dread to enter there.

2 The pains, the groans, and dying strife, Fright our approaching souls away; Still we shrink back again to life, Fond of our prison and our clay.

3 O! if my Lord would come and meet, My soul should stretch her wings in haste, Fly fearless through death's iron gate, Nor feel the terrors as she past.

4 Jesus can make a dying bed Feel soft as downy pillows are, While on his breast I lean my head, And breathe my life out sweetly there.

535. L. M. Anonymous.

Deliverance from the Fear of Death.

1 O God of love! with cheering ray, Gild our expiring hour of day; Thy love, through each revolving year, Has wiped away affliction's tear.

2 Free us from death's terrific gloom, And all the fear which shrouds the tomb; Heighten our joys, support our head, Before we sink among the dead.

3 May death conclude our toils and tears! May death destroy our sins and fears! May death, through Jesus, be our friend! May death be life, when life shall end!

4 Crown our last moment with thy power-- The latest in our latest hour; Till to the raptured heights we soar, Where fears and death are known no more.

536. L. M. R. Hill.

Prayer for the dying Christian.

1 Gently, my Father, let me down To slumber in the arms of death: I rest my soul on thee alone, E'en till my last expiring breath.

2 Soon will the storms of life be o'er, And I shall enter endless rest: There I shall live to sin no more, And bless thy name forever blest.

3 Bid me possess sweet peace within; Let childlike patience keep my heart; Then shall I feel my heaven begin, Before my spirit hence depart.

537. C. M. Anonymous.

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the Shadow of Death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me." Ps. 23.

1 Thou must go forth alone, my soul! Thou must go forth alone, To other scenes, to other worlds, That mortal hath not known. Thou must go forth alone, my soul,-- To tread the narrow vale; But He, whose word is sure, hath said His comforts shall not fail.

2 Thou must go forth alone, my soul, Along the darksome way; Where the bright sun has never shed His warm and gladsome ray. And yet the Sun of Righteousness Shall rise amidst the gloom, And scatter from thy trembling gaze The shadows of the tomb.

3 Thou must go forth alone, my soul! To meet thy God above: But shrink not--He hath said, my soul, He is a God of love. His rod and staff shall comfort thee Across the dreary road, Till thou shalt join the blessed ones In heaven's serene abode.

538. 7s. & 4s. M. Mrs. Gilbert.

Prayer for Support in Death.

1 When the vale of death appears, Faint and cold this mortal clay, O, my Father, soothe my fears, Light me through the gloomy way; Break the shadows, Usher in eternal day;--

2 Upward from this dying state Bid my waiting soul aspire; Open thou the crystal gate; To thy praise attune my lyre: Then, triumphant, I will join th' immortal choir.

539. C. M. Anonymous.

The Happy Death.

1 Lord, must we die? O let us die Trusting in thee alone! Our living testimony given, Then leave our dying one.

2 If we must die, O let us die In peace with all mankind, And change these fleeting joys below For pleasures all refined.

3 If we must die,--as die we must,-- Let some kind seraph come, And bear us on his friendly wing To our celestial home!

4 Of Canaan's land, from Pisgah's top, May we but have a view! Though Jordan should o'erflow its banks, We'll boldly venture through.

540. L. M. Montgomery.

The Hour of Death, and Entrance on Immortality.

1 O God unseen--but not unknown! Thine eye is ever fixed on me; I dwell beneath thy secret throne, Encompassed by thy deity.

2 The moment comes when strength must fail, When, health and hope and comfort flown, I must go down into the vale And shade of death, with thee alone:

3 Alone with thee;--in that dread strife Uphold me through mine agony, And gently be this dying life Exchanged for immortality.

4 Then, when th' unbodied spirit lands Where flesh and blood have never trod, And in the unveiled presence stands Of thee, my Saviour and my God:

5 Be mine eternal portion this, Since thou wert always here with me, That I may view thy face in bliss, And be for evermore with thee.

541. L. M. Doddridge.

Meditation on Death.

1 Behold the path which mortals tread, Down to the regions of the dead! Nor will the fleeting moments stay, Nor can we measure back our day.

2 Our kindred and our friends are gone; Know, O my soul! this doom my own; Feeble as theirs my mortal frame, The same my way, my home the same.

3 Awake, my soul, thy way prepare, And lose in this each mortal care; With steady feet that path be trod, Which, through the grave, conducts to God.

4 Father! to thee my all I trust; And if thou call me down to dust, I know thy voice, I bless thy hand, And die in peace at thy command.

542. 7s. M. Pope.

The Dying Christian to his Soul!

1 Vital spark of heavenly flame! Quit, O quit this mortal frame! Trembling, hoping, lingering, flying, O the pain, the bliss of dying! Cease, fond nature, cease thy strife, And let me languish into life!

2 Hark! they whisper! angels say, "Sister spirit, come away!" What is this absorbs me quite, Steals my senses, shuts my sight, Drowns my spirits, draws my breath? Tell me, my soul, can this be death?

3 The world recedes!--it disappears! Heaven opens on my eyes!--my ears With sounds seraphic ring: Lend, lend your wings! I mount, I fly! O grave! where is thy victory? O death! where is thy sting?

543. L. M. Mrs. Barbauld.

Death of the Righteous.

1 Sweet is the scene when virtue dies! When sinks a righteous soul to rest; How mildly beam the closing eyes, How gently heaves th' expiring breast!

2 So fades a summer cloud away, So sinks the gale when storms are o'er, So gently shuts the eye of day, So dies a wave along the shore.

3 Farewell, conflicting hopes and fears, Where lights and shades alternate dwell; How bright th' unchanging morn appears! Farewell, inconstant world, farewell!

4 Life's duty done, as sinks the clay, Light from its load the spirit flies; While heaven and earth combine to say, "How blessed the righteous when he dies!"

544. C. M. Peabody.

The Christian's Death.

1 Behold the western evening light! It melts in deeper gloom; So calm the righteous sink away, Descending to the tomb. The winds breathe low--the yellow leaf Scarce whispers from the tree! So gently flows the parting breath, When good men cease to be.

2 How beautiful, on all the hills, The crimson light is shed! 'Tis like the peace the dying gives To mourners round his bed. How mildly on the wandering cloud The sunset beam is cast! So sweet the memory left behind, When loved ones breathe their last.

3 And lo! above the dews of night The vesper star appears! So faith lights up the mourner's heart, Whose eyes are dim with tears. Night falls, but soon the morning light Its glories shall restore; And thus the eyes that sleep in death Shall wake, to close no more.

545. 7s. M. Anonymous.

Dirge.

1 Clay to clay, and dust to dust! Let them mingle--for they must! Give to earth the earthly clod, For the spirit's fled to God.

2 Never more shall midnight's damp Darken round this mortal lamp; Never more shall noon-day's glance Search this mortal countenance.

3 Deep the pit, and cold the bed, Where the spoils of death are laid; Stiff the curtains, chill the gloom, Of man's melancholy tomb.

4 Look aloft! The spirit's risen-- Death cannot the soul imprison; 'Tis in heaven that spirits dwell, Glorious, though invisible.

546. L. M. Watts.

The Same.

1 Unveil thy bosom, faithful tomb! Take this new treasure to thy trust, And give these sacred relics room To seek a slumber in thy dust.

2 Nor pain, nor grief, nor anxious fear, Invade thy bounds; no mortal woes Can reach the peaceful sleeper here, While angels watch the soft repose.

3 So Jesus slept; God's dying Son Passed through the grave, and blessed the bed; Then rest, dear saint, till from his throne The morning break, and pierce the shade.

4 Break from his throne, illustrious morn! Attend, O earth, his sovereign word! Restore thy trust! the glorious form Shall then arise to meet the Lord.

547. C. M. Watts.

"Blessed are the dead, who die in the Lord."

1 Hear what the voice from heaven proclaims, For all the pious dead; Sweet is the savor of their names, And soft their sleeping bed.

2 They die in Jesus, and are blessed; How kind their slumbers are! From sufferings and from sin released, And freed from every snare.

3 Far from this world of toil and strife, They're present with the Lord! The labors of their mortal life End in a large reward.

548. 7s. M. Wesley's Coll.

"Blessed are the dead, that die in the Lord."

1 Hark! a voice divides the sky! Happy are the faithful dead, In the Lord who sweetly die! They from all their toils are freed.

2 Ready for their glorious crown,-- Sorrows past and sins forgiven,-- Here they lay their burthen down, Hallowed and made meet for heaven.

3 Yes! the Christian's course is run; Ended is the glorious strife; Fought the fight, the work is done; Death is swallowed up in life.

4 When from flesh the spirit freed Hastens homeward to return, Mortals cry, "A man is dead!" Angels sing, "A child is born!"

549. L. M. Mrs. Mackay.

"Asleep in Christ."

1 Asleep in Jesus! blessed sleep! From which none ever wakes to weep; A calm and undisturbed repose, Unbroken by the dread of foes.

2 Asleep in Jesus! peaceful rest! Whose waking is supremely blest; No fear, no woes shall dim that hour, Which manifests the Saviour's power!

3 Asleep in Jesus! time nor space Debars this precious hiding place; On Indian plains, or Lapland's snows, Believers find the same repose.

4 Asleep in Jesus! far from thee Thy kindred and their graves may be; But thine is still a blesséd sleep, From which none ever wakes to weep.

550. C. M. 8l. Anonymous.

The Resurrection.

1 All nature dies and lives again: The flowers that paint the field, The trees that crown the mountain's brow, And boughs and blossoms yield,-- Resign the honors of their form At winter's stormy blast, And leave the naked, leafless plain A desolated waste.

2 Yet, soon reviving, plants and flowers Anew shall deck the plain; The woods shall hear the voice of spring, And flourish green again. So, to the dreary grave consigned, Man sleeps in death's dark gloom, Until th' eternal morning wake The slumbers of the tomb.

3 O may the grave become to me The bed of peaceful rest, Whence I shall gladly rise at length, And mingle with the blessed! Cheered by this hope, with patient mind I'll wait Heaven's high decree, Till the appointed period come When death shall set me free.

551. C. M. Sir J. E. Smith.

The Changes of Nature Types of Immortality.

1 As twilight's gradual veil is spread Across the evening sky; So man's bright hours decline in shade, And mortal comforts die.

2 The bloom of spring, the summer rose, In vain pale winter brave; Nor youth, nor age, nor wisdom knows A ransom from the grave.

3 But morning dawns and spring revives, And genial hours return; So man's immortal soul survives, And scorns the mouldering urn.

4 When this vain scene no longer charms, Or swiftly fades away, He sinks into a Father's arms, Nor dreads the coming day.

552. Peculiar M. H. Ware, Jr.

Resurrection of Christ.

1 Lift your glad voices in triumph on high, For Jesus hath risen, and man cannot die: Vain were the terrors that gathered around him, And short the dominion of death and the grave; He burst from the fetters of darkness that bound him Resplendent in glory, to live and to save: Loud was the chorus of angels on high,-- The Saviour hath risen, and man shall not die.

2 Glory to God in full anthems of joy, The being he gave us death cannot destroy: Sad were the life we must part with to-morrow, If tears were our birthright, and death were our end; But Jesus hath cheered the dark valley of sorrow, And bade us, immortal, to heaven ascend: Lift, then, your voices in triumph on high, For Jesus hath risen, and man shall not die.

553. 7s. M. Cudworth.

The Same.

1 Christ, the Lord, is risen to-day, Sons of men and angels say; Raise your songs of triumph high: Sing, ye heavens, and, earth, reply.

2 Love's redeeming work is done, Fought the fight, the battle won; Lo our Sun's eclipse is o'er; Lo! he sets in blood no more.

3 Vain the stone, the watch, the seal; Christ hath burst the gates of hell; Death in vain forbids his rise; Christ hath opened paradise.

4 Soar we now where Christ hath led, Following our exalted Head: Made like him, like him we rise; Ours the cross, the grave, the skies.

554. C. M. Sir J. E. Smith.

Nature Transitory--the Soul Immortal.

1 See lovely nature raise her head, In various graces dressed; Her lucid robe by ocean spread, Her verdant, flowery vest.

2 How glorious are those orbs of light, In all their bright array, That gem the ebon brow of night, Or pour the blaze of day!

3 One gem of purest ray, divine, Alone disclaims her power; Still brighter shall its glories shine, When hers are seen no more.

4 Her pageants pass, nor leave a trace The soul no change shall fear; The God of nature and of grace Has stamped his image there.

555. C. M. Watts.

A Prospect of Heaven.

1 There is a land of pure delight, Where saints immortal reign; Eternal day excludes the night, And pleasures banish pain.

2 There everlasting spring abides, And never-withering flowers: Death, like a narrow sea, divides This heavenly land from ours.

3 Sweet fields beyond the swelling flood Stand dressed in living green: So to the Jews old Canaan stood, And Jordan rolled between.

4 O could we make our doubts remove,-- Those gloomy doubts that rise,-- And see the Canaan that we love With unbeclouded eyes.

5 Could we but climb where Moses stood, And view the landscape o'er,-- Not Jordan's stream, nor death's cold flood, Should fright us from the shore.

556. S. M. Stennett.

Surpassing Glories of Eternity.

1 How various and how new Are thy compassions, Lord! Each morning shall thy mercies show,-- Each night thy truth record.

2 Thy goodness, like the sun, Dawned on our early days, Ere infant reason had begun To form our lips to praise.

3 But we expect a day Still brighter far than this, When death shall bear our souls away To realms of light and bliss.

4 Nor shall that radiant day, So joyfully begun, In evening shadows die away Beneath the setting sun.

5 How various and how new Are thy compassions, Lord! Eternity thy love shall show, And all thy truth record.

557. 8s. & 6s. M. W. B. Tappan.

Heaven Anticipated.

1 There is an hour of peaceful rest To mourning wanderers given; There is a joy for souls distressed, A balm for every wounded breast; 'Tis found alone in heaven.

2 There is a home for weary souls, By sins and sorrows driven, When tossed on life's tempestuous shoals, Where storms arise, and ocean rolls, And all is drear--'tis heaven.

3 There faith lifts up the tearless eye, The heart no longer riven,-- And views the tempest passing by, Sees evening shadows quickly fly, And all serene in heaven.

4 There fragrant flowers immortal bloom, And joys supreme are given; There rays divine disperse the gloom; Beyond the dark and narrow tomb Appears the dawn of heaven.

558. C. M. Christian Psalmist.

The Society of Heaven.