Forgiveness! ’tis a joyful sound

To malefactors doomed to die;

Publish the bliss the world around;

You seraphs, shout it from the sky!

2 ’Tis the rich gift of love divine;

’Tis full, outmeasuring every crime;

Unclouded shall its glories shine,

And feel no change by changing time.

3 For this stupendous love of heaven,

What grateful honors shall we show!

Where much transgression is forgiven,

Let love in equal ardors glow.

4 By this inspired, let all our days

With gospel holiness be crowned;

Let truth and goodness, prayer and praise

In all abide, in all abound.

Earth has a joy unknown in heaven—

The new-born joy of sins forgiven!

Tears of such pure and deep delight,

O angels! never dimmed your sight.

2 You saw of old on chaos rise

The beauteous pillars of the skies;

You know where morn exulting springs,

And evening folds her drooping wings.

3 Bright heralds of th’ Eternal Will,

Abroad his errands you fulfill;

Or, throned in floods of beamy day,

Symphonies in his presence play.

4 Loud is the song—the heavenly plain

Is shaken with the choral strain;

And dying echoes, floating far,

Draw music from each chiming star.

5 But I amid your choirs shall shine,

And all your knowledge shall be mine;

You on your harps must lean to hear

A secret chord that mine shall bear.

Lord, I am thine, entirely thine,

Purchased alone by blood divine;

With full consent I yield to thee,

And own thy sovereign right to me.

2 Grant me, in mercy, now a place

Among the children of thy grace;

A wretched sinner, lost to God,

But ransomed by Immanuel’s blood.

3 Thee, my new Master, now I call,

And consecrate to thee my all:

Lord, let me live and die to thee;

Be thine through all eternity.

O happy day, that fixed my choice

On thee, my Saviour and my God!

Well may this glowing heart rejoice,

And tell its raptures all abroad.

CHORUS.

Happy day, happy day,

When Jesus washed my sins away;

He taught me how to watch and pray,

And live rejoicing every day.

2 O happy bond, that seals my vows

To him who merits all my love!

Let cheerful anthems fill his house,

While to that sacred shrine I move.

3 ’Tis done; the great transaction’s done;

I am my Lord’s, and he is mine;

He drew me, and I followed on,

Charmed to confess the voice divine.

4 Now rest, my long divided heart!

Fixed on this blissful center rest;

Here have I found a nobler part,

Here heavenly pleasures fill my breast.

5 High heaven, that heard the solemn vow,

That vow renewed shall daily hear;

Till in life’s latest hour I bow,

And bless in death a bond so dear.

O sweetly breathe the lyres above,

When angels touch the quivering string,

And wake, to chant Immanuel’s love,

Such strains as angel-lips can sing!

2 And sweet, on earth, the choral swell,

From mortal tongues, of gladsome lays;

When pardoned souls their raptures tell,

And, grateful, hymn Immanuel’s praise.

3 Jesus, thy name our souls adore;

We own the bond that makes us thine;

And carnal joys, that charmed before,

For thy dear sake we now resign.

4 Our hearts, by dying love subdued,

Accept thine offered grace to-day;

Beneath the cross, with blood bedewed,

We bow, and give ourselves away.

5 In thee we trust—on thee rely;

Though we are feeble, thou art strong;

O, keep us till our spirits fly

To join the bright, immortal throng!

Now I have found the ground wherein

Sure my soul’s anchor may remain;

The wounds of Jesus, for my sin,

Before the world’s foundation slain;

Whose mercy shall unshaken stay,

When heaven and earth are fled away.

2 O Love, thou bottomless abyss!

My sins are swallowed up in thee;

Covered is my unrighteousness;

From condemnation now I’m free;

While Jesus’ blood through earth and skies,

Mercy, free, boundless mercy! cries.

3 With faith I plunge me in this sea,

Here is my hope, my joy, my rest;

Hither, when hell assails, I flee,

I look into my Saviour’s breast.

Away, sad doubt, and anxious fear!

Mercy is all that’s written here.

4 Tho’ waves and storms go o’er my head,

Tho’ strength, and health, and friends, be gone:

Tho’ joys be withered all, and dead;

Tho’ every comfort be withdrawn—

Steadfast on this my soul relies:

Father, thy mercy never dies.

Redeemed from guilt, redeemed from fears,

My soul enlarged, and dried my tears,

What can I do, O Love Divine,

What to repay such gifts as thine?

2 What can I do, so poor, so weak,

But from thy hands new blessings seek,

A heart to feel thy mercies more,

A soul to know thee, and adore?

3 O teach me at thy feet to fall,

And yield thee up myself, my all!

Before thy saints my debts to own,

And live and die to thee alone!

4 Thy Spirit, Lord, at large impart,

Expand, and raise, and fill my heart!

So may I hope my life shall be

Some faint return, O Lord, to thee.

How happy is the Christian’s state!

His sins are all forgiven;

A cheering ray confirms the grace,

And lifts his hopes to heaven.

2 Though in the rugged path of life

He heaves the pensive sigh;

Yet, trusting in his God, he finds

Delivering grace is nigh.

3 If, to prevent his wandering steps,

He feels the chastening rod,

The gentle stroke shall bring him back

To his forgiving God.

4 And when the welcome message comes

To call his soul away,

His soul in raptures shall ascend

To everlasting day.

Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound!)

That saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found;

Was blind, but now I see.

3 Through many dangers, toils, and snares,

I have already come;

’Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,

And grace will lead me home.

3 The Lord has promised good to me,

His word my hope secures;

He will my shield and portion be

As long as life endures.

4 Yes, when this heart and flesh shall fail,

And mortal life shall cease,

I shall possess within the vail

A life of joy and peace.

How happy every child of grace,

Who knows his sins forgiven!

This earth, he cries, is not my place—

I seek my home in heaven.

2 A country far from mortal sight,

Yet O, by faith I see

The land of rest, the saint’s delight,

The heaven prepared for me.

3 O what a blesséd hope is ours!

While here on earth we stay,

We more than taste the heavenly powers,

And antedate that day.

4 We feel the resurrection near,

Our life in Christ concealed,

And with his glorious presence here,

Our earthen vessels filled.

5 O, would he all of heaven bestow!

Then like our Lord we’ll rise;

Our bodies, fully ransomed, go

To take the glorious prize.

6 On him with rapture then I’ll gaze,

Who bought the bliss for me,

And shout and wonder at his grace,

Through all eternity.

Grace! ’tis a charming sound,

Harmonious to the ear;

Heaven with the echo shall resound,

And all the earth shall hear.

2 Grace first contrived the way

To save rebellious man;

And all the steps that grace display,

Which drew the wondrous plan.

3 Grace led our wandering feet

To tread the heavenly road;

And new supplies each hour we meet,

While pressing on to God.

4 Grace all the work shall crown

Through everlasting days;

It lays in heaven the topmost stone,

And well deserves our praise.

Blest Saviour! Friend divine!

Thou source of boundless love!

The hope of all thy saints on earth,

The joy of all above!

2 How can I tell thy worth!

How make thy glories known!

No language can thy goodness speak,

No tongue thy mercies own!

3 My words can not express

The sweetness of thy name!

Nor can my feeble lips declare

The wonders of thy fame!

4 Then take my trusting heart,

I can not give thee more;

Make rich my soul’s deep poverty,

From thine unwasting store!

Since first thy word awaked my heart,

Like light new dawning o’er me,

Where’er I turn my eyes, thou art

All light and love before me.

2 Naught else I feel, or hear, or see,

All bonds of earth I sever;

Thee, O my Lord, and only thee,

I live for, now, and ever.

3 Like him whose fetters dropped away

When light shone o’er his prison,

My soul now touched by mercy’s ray,

Hath from its chains arisen.

4 And shall the soul thou bidd’st be free,

Return to bondage? Never;

Thee, O my God, and only thee,

I live for, now, and ever.

How happy are they who their Saviour obey,

And have laid up their treasures above!

Tongue can not express the sweet comfort and peace

Of a soul in its earliest love!

2 This comfort is mine, since the favor divine

I have found in the blood of the Lamb:

Since the truth I believed what a joy I’ve received,

What a heaven in Jesus’ blest name!

3 ’Tis a heavén below my Redeemer to know,

And the angels can do nothing more

Than to fall at his feet, and the story repeat,

And the lover of sinners adore!

4 Jesus all the day long is my joy and my song;

O that all to this refuge may fly!

He has loved me, I cried, he has suffered and died

To redeem such a rebel as I!

5 On the wings of his love I am carried above

All my sin, and temptation, and pain;

O why should I grieve, while on him I believe!

O why should I sorrow again!

6 O the rapturous hight of that holy delight,

Which I find in the life-giving blood!

Of my Saviour possessed, I am perfectly blessed,

Being filled with the fullness of God!

7 Now my remnant of days will I spend to his praise

Who has died me from sin to redeem;

Whether many or few, all my years are his due;

They shall all be devoted to him.

8 What a mercy is this! what a heaven of bliss!

How unspeakably happy am I!

Gathered into the fold, with believers enrolled—

With believers to live and to die!

Like morning—when her early breeze

Breaks up the surface of the seas,

That, in their furrows, dark with night,

Her hand may sow the seeds of light—

2 Thy grace can send its breathings o’er

The spirit dark and lost before;

And, freshening all its depths, prepare

For truth divine to enter there.

3 Till David touched his sacred lyre,

In silence lay the unbreathing wire;

But when he swept its chords along,

Then angels stooped to hear the song.

4 So sleeps the soul, till thou, O Lord,

Shall deign to touch its lifeless chord;

Till, waked by thee, its breath shall rise,

In music worthy of the skies.

O Lord! and shall thy Spirit rest

In such a wretched heart as mine!

Unworthy dwelling! glorious guest!

Favor astonishing, divine!

2 When sin prevails, and gloomy fear,

And hope almost expires in night,

Lord, can thy Spirit then be here,

Great Spring of comfort, life, and light?

3 Sure the blest Comforter is nigh!

’Tis he sustains my fainting heart;

Else would my hopes for ever die,

And every cheering ray depart.

4 When some kind promise glads my soul,

Do I not find his healing voice

The tempest of my fears control,

And bid my drooping powers rejoice!

5 Let thy kind Spirit in my heart

For ever dwell, O God of love!

And light and heavenly peace impart—

Sweet earnest of the joys above.

Blessed are the humble souls that see

Their emptiness and poverty;

Treasures of grace to them are given,

And crowns of joy laid up in heaven.

2 Blessed are the men of broken heart,

Who mourn for sin with inward smart;

The blood of Christ divinely flows,

A healing balm for all their woes.

3 Blessed are the souls who thirst for grace,

Hunger and thirst for righteousness;

They shall be well supplied, and fed

With living streams and living bread.

4 Blessed are the men of peaceful life,

Who quench the glowing coals of strife;

They shall be called the heirs of bliss,

The sons of God, the God of peace.

5 Blessed are the sufferers who partake

Of pain and shame for Jesus’ sake;

Their souls shall triumph in the Lord:

Glory and joy are their reward.

God of my life! thy boundless grace,

Chose, pardoned, and adopted me;

My rest, my home, my dwelling-place;

Father! I come, I come to thee.

2 Jesus, my Hope, my Rock, my Shield!

Whose precious blood was shed for me,

Into thy hands my soul I yield;

Saviour! I come, I come to thee.

Honor and happiness unite

To make the Christian’s name a praise;

How fair the scene, how clear the light,

That fills the remnant of his days!

2 A kingly character he bears,

No change his priestly office knows;

Unfading is the crown he wears,

His joys can never reach a close.

3 Adorned with glory from on high,

Salvation shines upon his face;

His robe is of the ethereal dye,

His steps are dignity and grace.

4 Inferior honors he disdains,

Nor stoops to take applause from earth,

The King of kings himself maintains

The expenses of his heavenly birth.

5 The noblest creature seen below,

Ordained to fill a throne above;

God gives him all he can bestow,

His kingdom of eternal love!

6 My soul is ravished at the thought!

Methinks from earth I see him rise!

Angels congratulate his lot,

And shout him welcome to the skies!

Lord, in whose might the Saviour trod

The dark and stormy wave,

And trusted in his Father’s arm,

Omnipotent to save;—

2 When thickly round our footsteps rise

The floods and storms of life,

Grant us thy Spirit, Lord, to still

The dark and fearful strife.

3 Strong in our trust, on thee reposed,

The ocean path we’ll dare,

Though waves around us rage and foam,

Since thou art present there.

Father! I wait before thy throne;

Call me a child of thine;

And let the Spirit of thy Son,

Fill this poor heart of mine.

2 There shed thy promised love abroad,

And make my comfort strong;

Then shall I say, my Father, God!

With an unwavering tongue.

There is a name I love to hear,

I love to speak its worth;

It sounds like music in mine ear,

The sweetest name on earth.

2 It tells me of a Saviour’s love,

Who died to set me free;

It tells me of his precious blood,

The sinner’s perfect plea.

3 It tells me of a Father’s smile,

Beaming upon his child;

It cheers me through this “little while,”

Through desert, waste, and wild.

4 It bids my trembling heart rejoice;

It dries each rising tear;

It tells me in “a still small voice,”

To trust and never fear.

5 Jesus! the name I love so well,

The name I love to hear!

No saint on earth its worth can tell,

No heart conceive how dear.

6 This name shall shed its fragrance still

Along this thorny road,

Shall sweetly smooth the rugged hill

That leads me up to God.

Lord, let thy Spirit penetrate

This heart and soul of mine;

And my whole being with thy grace

Pervade, O Life divine!

2 As this clear air surrounds the earth,

Thy grace around me roll;

As the fresh light pervades the air,

So pierce and fill my soul.

3 As from these clouds drops down in love

The precious summer rain,

So from thyself pour down the flood

That freshens all again.

4 As these fair flowers exhale their scent

In gladness at our feet,

So from thyself let fragrance breathe,

More heavenly and more sweet.

5 Thus life within our lifeless hearts,

Shall make its glad abode;

And we shall shine in beauteous light

Filled with the light of God.

Great source of life and light!

Thy heavenly grace impart,

Thy Holy Spirit grant, and write

Thy law upon my heart;

My soul would cleave to thee;

Let naught my purpose move;

O, let my faith more steadfast be,

And more intense my love!

2 Long as my trials last,

Long as the cross I bear,

O, let my soul on thee be cast

In confidence and prayer!

Conduct me to the shore

Of everlasting peace,

Where storm and tempest rise no more,

Where sin and sorrow cease.

Thy Spirit shall unite

Our souls to thee our Head;

Shall form us to thine image bright,

That we thy paths may tread.

2 Death may our souls divide

From these abodes of clay;

But love shall keep us near thy side

Through all the gloomy way.

3 Since Christ and we are one,

Why should we doubt or fear!

If he in heaven hath fixed his throne,

He’ll fix his members there.

Blesséd are the sons of God;

They are bought with Jesus’ blood;

They are ransomed from the grave

Life eternal they shall have;

With them numbered may we be,

Here, and in eternity.

2 They are justified by grace,

They enjoy the Saviour’s peace;

All their sins are washed away;

They shall stand in God’s great day:

With them numbered may we be,

Here, and in eternity.

3 They are lights upon the earth—

Children of a heavenly birth—

One with God, with Jesus one;

Glory is in them begun;

With them numbered may we be,

Here, and in eternity.

Call Jehovah thy salvation,

Rest beneath th’ Almighty’s shade;

In his secret habitation

Dwell, and never be dismayed.

Guile nor violence can harm thee,

In eternal silence there;

There no tumult shall alarm thee;

Thou shalt dread no hidden snare.

2 Since with pure and firm affection

Thou on God hast set thy love,

With the wings of his protection

He will shield thee from above:

Thou shalt call on him in trouble;

He will hearken; he will save;

Here for grief reward thee double;

Crown with life beyond the grave.

Our blest Redeemer, ere he breathed

His tender, last farewell,

A Guide, a Comforter, bequeathed

With us to dwell.

2 He came in tongues of living flame,

To teach, convince, subdue;

All powerful as the wind he came,

As viewless too.

3 He came, sweet influence to impart,

A gracious, willing guest,

While he can find one humble heart

Wherein to rest.

4 And his that gentle voice we hear,

Soft as the breeze of even,

That checks each fault, that calms each fear,

And speaks of heaven.

We ask for peace, O Lord!

Thy children ask thy peace;

Not what the world calls rest,

That toil and care should cease,

That through bright sunny hours

Calm life should fleet away,

And tranquil night should fade

In smiling day—

It is not for such peace that we would pray.

2 We ask for peace, O Lord!

Yet not to stand secure,

Girt round with iron pride,

Contented to endure:

Crushing the gentle strings,

That human hearts should know,

Untouched by others’ joys

Or others’ woe;

Thou, O dear Lord, wilt never teach us so.

3 We ask thy peace, O Lord!

Through storm, and fear, and strife,

To light and guide us on,

Through a long struggling life:

While no success or gain

Shall cheer the desperate fight,

Or nerve, what the world calls,

Our wasted might:

Yet pressing through the darkness to the light.

4 It is thine own, O Lord!

Who toil while others sleep,

Who sow with loving care

What other hands shall reap:

They lean on thee entranced

In calm and perfect rest:

Give us that peace, O Lord!

Divine and blest,

Thou keepest for those hearts who love thee best.

O Thou that hearest prayer,

Attend our humble cry,

And let thy servants share

Thy blessings from on high:

We plead the promise of thy word;

Grant us thy Holy Spirit, Lord.

2 If earthly parents hear

Their children when they cry—

If they, with love sincere,

Their varied wants supply—

Much more wilt thou thy love display,

And answer when thy children pray.

Let others boast their ancient line,

In long succession great;

In the proud list let heroes shine,

And monarchs swell the state,

Descended from the King of kings,

Each saint a nobler title sings.

2 Pronounce me, gracious God, thy son,

Own me an heir divine;

I’ll pity princes on the throne,

When I can call thee mine:

Scepters and crowns unenvied rise,

And lose their luster in my eyes.

3 Content, obscure, I pass my days,

To all I meet unknown,

And wait till thou thy child shalt raise,

And seat me near thy throne:

No name, no honors here I crave,

Well pleased with those beyond the grave.

4 Jesus, my elder brother, lives;

With him I, too, shall reign;

Nor sin, nor death, while he survives,

Shall make the promise vain;

In him my title stands secure,

And shall while endless years endure.

5 When he, in robes divinely bright,

Shall once again appear,

Thou, too, my soul, shalt shine in light,

And his full image bear:

Enough!—I wait th’ appointed day—

Blessed Saviour, haste, and come away!

How vain is all beneath the skies!

How transient every earthly bliss!

How slender all the fondest ties

That bind us to a world like this!

2 The evening cloud, the morning dew,

The withering grass, the fading flower,

Of earthly hopes are emblems true,

The glory of a passing hour.

3 But though earth’s fairest blossoms die,

And all beneath the skies is vain,

There is a brighter world on high,

Beyond the reach of care and pain.

4 Then let the hope of joys to come

Dispel our cares and chase our fears;

If God be ours, we’re traveling home,

Though passing through a vale of tears.

Stand up, my soul, shake off thy fears,

And gird the gospel armor on;

March to the gates of endless joy,

Where Jesus, the great Captain’s gone.

2 Hell and thy sins resist thy course;

But hell and sin are vanquished foes;

Thy Saviour nailed them to the cross,

And sung the triumph when he rose.

3 Then let my soul march boldly on,

Press forward to the heavenly gate;

There peace and joy eternal reign,

And glittering robes for conquerors wait.

4 There shall I wear a starry crown,

And triumph in almighty grace,

While all the armies of the skies

Join in my glorious Leader’s praise.

There is a land of pure delight,

Where saints immortal reign,

Infinite 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,

While Jordan rolled between.

4 But timorous mortals start and shrink

To cross this narrow sea,

And linger, shivering on the brink,

And fear to launch away.

5 O! could we make our doubts remove,

Those gloomy doubts that rise,

And see the Canaan that we love,

With unbeclouded eyes;

6 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.

Far from these narrow scenes of night,

Unbounded glories rise;

And realms of infinite delight,

Unknown to mortal eyes.

2 Celestial land! could our weak eyes

But half thy charms explore,

How would our spirits long to rise;

And dwell on earth no more:

3 There pain and sickness never come,

And grief no place obtains;

Health triumphs in immortal bloom,

And endless pleasure reigns!

4 No cloud these blissful regions know,

For ever bright and fair!

For sin, the source of every woe,

Can never enter there.

5 There no alternate night is known,

Nor sun’s faint sickly ray;

But glory from the sacred throne

Spreads everlasting day.

Hail, sweetest, dearest tie, that binds

Our glowing hearts in one;

Hail, sacred hope, that tunes our minds

To harmony divine.

It is the hope, the blissful hope,

Which Jesus’ grace has given—

The hope, when days and years are past,

We all shall meet in heaven.

2 What though the northern wintry blast

Shall howl around our cot;

What though beneath an eastern sun

Be cast our distant lot;

Yet still we share the blissful hope,

Which Jesus’ grace has given—

The hope, when days and years are past,

We all shall meet in heaven.

3 From eastern shores, from northern lands,

From western hill and plain,

From southern climes, the brother-bands

May hope to meet again;

It is the hope, the blissful hope,

Which Jesus’ grace has given—

The hope, when life and time are o’er,

We all shall meet in heaven.

4 From Burmah’s shores, from Afric’s strand,

From India’s burning plain,

From Europe, from Columbia’s land,

We hope to meet again;

It is the hope, the blissful hope,

Which Jesus’ grace has given—

The hope, when days and years are past,

We all shall meet in heaven.

5 No lingering look, nor parting sigh,

Our future meeting knows;

There friendship beams from every eye,

And love immortal glows.

O sacred hope! O blissful hope!

Which Jesus’ grace has given—

The hope, when days and years are past

We all shall meet in heaven.

On Jordan’s stormy banks I stand,

And cast a wishful eye

To Canaan’s fair and happy land,

Where my possessions lie.

2 O the transporting, rapturous scene,

That rises to my sight!

Sweet fields arrayed in living green,

And rivers of delight!

3 There generous fruits that never fail

On trees immortal grow;

There rocks and hills, and brooks and vales,

With milk and honey flow.

4 All o’er these wide, extended plains,

Shines one eternal day;

There God, the Son, for ever reigns,

And scatters night away.

5 No chilling winds nor poisonous breath

Can reach that healthful shore;

Sickness and sorrow, pain and death,

Are felt and feared no more.

6 When shall I reach that happy place,

And be for ever blest!

When shall I see my Father’s face,

And in his bosom rest!

7 Filled with delight, my raptured soul

Would here no longer stay;

Though Jordan’s waves around me roll,

Fearless I’d launch away.

When musing sorrow weeps the past,

And mourns the present pain,

’Tis sweet to think of peace at last,

And feel that death is gain.

2 ’Tis not that murmuring thoughts arise,

And dread a Father’s will;

’Tis not that meek submission flies,

And would not suffer still.

3 It is that heaven-born faith surveys

The path that leads to light,

And longs her eagle plumes to raise,

And lose herself in sight.

4 It is that troubled conscience feels

The pangs of struggling sin,

And sees, though far, the hand that heals,

And ends the strife within.

5 O, let me wing my hallowed flight

From earth-born woe and care,

And soar above these clouds of night,

My Saviour’s bliss to share.

O there’s a better world on high;

Hope on, thou pious breast;

Faint not, thou traveler; on the sky

Thy weary feet shall rest.

2 Anguish may rend each vital part;

Poor man, thy strength how frail!

Yet heaven’s own strength shall shield thy heart,

When flesh and heart shall fail.

3 Through death’s dark vale, of deepest shade,

Thy feet must surely go;

Yet there, e’en there, walk undismayed;

’Tis thy last scene of woe.

4 Thy God—and with the tenderest hand—

Shall guard the traveler through;

“Hail!” shalt thou cry: “hail! promised land!

And, wilderness, adieu!”

5 O Father, make our souls thy care,

And bring us safe to thee;

Where’er thou art—we ask not where—

But there ’tis heaven to be.

Since I can read my title clear

To mansions in the skies,

I bid farewell to every fear,

And wipe my weeping eyes.

2 Should earth against my soul engage,

And fiery darts be hurled,

Then I would smile at Satan’s rage,

And face a frowning world.

3 Let cares, like a wild deluge, come,

And storms of sorrow fall,

May I but safely reach my home,

My God, my heaven, my all.

4 There shall I bathe my weary soul

In seas of heavenly rest;

And not a wave of trouble roll

Across my peaceful breast.

When reft of all, and hopeless care

Would sink us to the tomb,

What power shall save us from despair,

What dissipate the gloom?

2 No balm that earthly plants distill

Can soothe the mourner’s smart,

No mortal hand, with lenient skill,

Bind up the broken heart.

3 But One alone, who reigns above,

Our woe to joy can turn,

And light the lamp of life and love,

That long has ceased to burn.

4 Then, O my soul! to that One flee,

To God thy woes reveal;

His eye alone thy wounds can see,

His power alone can heal.

My soul! triumphant in the Lord,

Proclaim thy joys abroad,

And march with holy vigor on,

Supported by thy God.

2 Through every winding maze of life,

His hand has been my guide;

And in his long-experienced care,

My heart shall still confide.

3 His grace through all the desert flows,

An unexhausted stream;

That grace, on Zion’s sacred mount,

Shall be my endless theme.

4 Beyond the choicest joys of time,

Thy courts on earth I love;

But O! I burn with strong desire

To view thy house above.

5 There, joined with all the shining band,

My soul would thee adore;

A pillar in thy temple fixed,

To be removed no more.

When for eternal worlds we steer,

And seas are calm, and skies are clear,

And faith, in lively exercise,

Sees distant fields of Canaan rise,

The soul for joy then spreads her wings,

And loud her lovely sonnet sings,

Vain world, adieu.

2 With cheerful hope, her eyes explore

Each land-mark on the distant shore,

The trees of life, the pastures green,

The golden streets, the crystal stream;

Again for joy she spreads her wings,

And loud her lovely sonnet sings,

I’m going home.

3 The nearer still she draws to land,

More eager all her powers expand;

With steady helm, and free bent sail,

Her anchor drops within the vail;

And now for joy she folds her wings,

And her celestial sonnet sings,

I’m safe at home.

The world may change from old to new,

From new to old again;

Yet hope and heaven, for ever true,

Within our hearts remain.

2 Hope leads the child to plant the flower,

The man to sow the seed;

Nor leaves fulfillment to her hour—

But prompts again to deed.

3 And ere upon the old man’s dust

The grass is seen to wave,

We look through falling tears, to trust

Hope’s sunshine on the grave.

4 O, no, it is no flattering lure,

No fancy weak or fond,

When hope would bid us rest secure

In better life beyond.

5 Nor love, nor shame, nor grief, nor tears,

Her promise may gainsay;

The voice divine speaks through our years,

To cheer us on our way.

If life’s pleasures charm you, give them not your heart,

Lest the gift ensnare you from your God to part;

His favor seek, his praises speak;

Fix here your hope’s foundation;

Serve him, and he will ever be

The Rock of your Salvation.

2 If distress befall you, painful though it be,

Let not grief appall you—to your Saviour flee;

He ever near, your prayer will hear,

And calm your perturbation;

The waves of woe shall ne’er o’erflow

The Rock of your Salvation.

3 When earth’s prospects fail you, let it not distress,

Better comforts wait you—Christ will surely bless;

To Jesus flee—your prop he’ll be,

Your heavenly consolation;

For griefs below can not o’erthrow

The Rock of your Salvation.

4 Dangers may approach you; let them not alarm;

Christ will ever watch you, and protect from harm,

He near you stands, with mighty hands

To ward off each temptation;

To Jesus fly; he’s ever nigh,

The Rock of your Salvation.

5 Let not death alarm you, shrink not from his blow;

For your God shall arm you, and victory bestow,

For death shall bring to you no sting,

The grave no desolation:

’Tis sweet to die with Jesus nigh,

The Rock of your Salvation.

Now I have found a friend,

Jesus is mine;

His love shall never end,

Jesus is mine.

Though earthly joys decrease;

Though human friendships cease,

Now I have lasting peace;

Jesus is mine.

2 Though I grow poor and old,

Jesus is mine;

He will my faith uphold,

Jesus is mine;

He shall my wants supply,

His precious blood is nigh,

Nought can my hope destroy,

Jesus is mine!

3 When earth shall pass away,

Jesus is mine.

In the great Judgment day,

Jesus is mine.

O! what a glorious thing

Then to behold my King,

On tuneful harp to sing,

Jesus is mine.

4 Farewell mortality!

Jesus is mine.

Welcome eternity!

Jesus is mine,

He my Redemption is,

Wisdom and Righteousness,

Life, Light and Holiness,

Jesus is mine.