VIII
Oh, may that night be ne’er forgot!
Lord, still increase thy praying few!
Were Olney left without a Lot,
Ruin like Sodom’s would ensue.
70
A Welcome to Christian Friends
By Newton
I
Kindred in Christ, for his dear sake,
A hearty welcome here receive;
May we together now partake
The joys which only he can give!
II
To you and us by grace ’tis given
To know the Saviour’s precious name,
And shortly we shall meet in heaven,
Our hope, our way, our end, the same.
III
May he, by whose kind care we meet,
Send his good Spirit from above,
Make our communications sweet,
And cause our hearts to burn with love!
IV
Forgotten be each worldly theme,
When Christians see each other thus:
We only wish to speak of Him
Who lived and died and reigns for us.
V
We’ll talk of all He did and said,
And suffer’d for us here below;
The path He mark’d for us to tread,
And what He’s doing for us now.
VI
Thus, as the moments pass away,
We’ll love and wonder and adore,
And hasten on the glorious day
When we shall meet to part no more.
71
At Parting
By Newton
I
As the sun’s enliv’ning eye
Shines on every place the same;
So the Lord is always nigh
To the souls that love his name.
II
When they move at duty’s call,
He is with them by the way;
He is ever near them all,
Those who go, and those who stay.
III
From his holy mercy-seat
Nothing can their souls confine;
Still in spirit they may meet,
And in sweet communion join.
IV
For a season call’d to part,
Let us then ourselves commend
To the gracious eye and heart
Of our ever-present Friend.
V
Jesus, hear our humble pray’r!
Tender Shepherd of thy sheep,
Let thy mercy and thy care
All our souls in safety keep.
VI
In thy strength may we be strong,
Sweeten every cross and pain;
Give us, if we live, ere long,
Here to meet in peace again.
VII
Then if thou thy help afford,
Ebenezers shall be rear’d;
And our souls shall praise the Lord,
Who our poor petitions heard.
Funeral Hymns
72
On the Death of a Believer
By Newton
I
In vain our fancy strives to paint
The moment after death,
The glories that surround the saints
When yielding up their breath.
II
One gentle sigh their fetters breaks;
We scarce can say, “They’re gone!”
Before the willing spirit takes
Her mansion near the throne.
III
Faith strives, but all its efforts fail
To trace her in her flight;
No eye can pierce within the veil
Which hides that world of light
IV
Thus much (and this is all) we know,
They are completely bless’d—
Have done with sin and care and woe,
And with their Saviour rest.
V
On harps of gold they praise his name,
His face they always view;
Then let us foll’wers be of them,
That we may praise him too.
VI
Their faith and patience, love and zeal,
Should make their mem’ry dear;
And, Lord, do thou the pray’rs fulfill
They offer’d for us here.
VII
While they have gain’d we losers are,
We miss them day by day:
But thou canst every breach repair,
And wipe our tears away.
VIII
We pray, as in Elisha’s case,
When great Elijah went—
May double portions of thy grace
To us who stay be sent.
73
On the Death of a Minister
By Cowper
I
His master taken from his head,
Elisha saw him go;
And in desponding accents said—
“Ah, what must Isr’el do?”
II
But he forgot the Lord who lifts
The beggar to the throne;
Nor knew that all Elijah’s gifts
Will soon be made his own.
III
What, when a Paul has run his course,
Or when Apollos dies,
Is Isr’el left without resource?
And have we no supplies?
IV
Yes, while the dear Redeemer lives,
We have a boundless store,
And shall be fed with what he gives,
Who lives for evermore.
74
The Tolling Bell
By Newton
I
Oft as the bell, with solemn toll,
Speaks the departure of a soul,
Let each one ask himself—“Am I
Prepared, should I be call’d to die?”
II
Only this frail and fleeting breath
Preserves me from the jaws of death;
Soon as it fails at once I’m gone,
And plunged into a world unknown.
III
Then leaving all I loved below,
To God’s tribunal I must go—
Must hear the Judge pronounce my fate,
And fix my everlasting state.
IV
4 But could I bear to hear him say,
“Depart, accursed, far away;
With Satan in the lowest hell,
Thou art for ever doom’d to dwell”?
V
5 Lord Jesus! help me now to flee,
And seek my hope alone in thee;
Apply thy blood, thy Spirit give,
Subdue my sin and let me live.
VI
6 Then when the solemn bell I hear,
If saved from guilt I need not fear;
Nor would the thought distressing be—
Perhaps it next may toll for me.
VII
7 Rather my spirit would rejoice,
And long and wish to hear thy voice;
Glad when it bids me earth resign,
Secure of heaven if thou art mine.
75
Hope Beyond the Grave
By Newton
I
My soul, this curious house of clay,
Thy present frail abode,
Must quickly fall to worms a prey,
And thou return to God.
II
Canst thou by faith survey with joy
The change before it come?
And say—“Let death this house destroy,
I have a heav’nly home?”
III
The Saviour, whom I then shall see
With new admiring eyes,
Already has prepared for me
A mansion in the skies.
IV
I feel this mud-wall cottage shake,
And long to see it fall,
That I my willing flight may take
To Him who is my all.
V
Burden’d and groaning then no more,
My rescued soul shall sing,
As up the shining path I soar,
“Death, thou hast lost thy sting!”
VI
Dear Saviour, help us now to seek,
And know thy grace’s power,
That we may
