"WHY DO WE MOURN DEPARTING FRIENDS?" 383
"FRIEND AFTER FRIEND DEPARTS."
S. H. M.
Friend after friend departs; Who has not lost a friend? There is no union here of hearts
"UNVEIL THY BOSOM, FAITHFUL TOMB!"
Unveil thy bosom, faithful tomb! Take this new treasure to thy trust; And give these sacred relics room To
386 "WHEN MY LAST HOUR IS CLOSE AT HAND."*
When my last hour is close at hand, My last sad journey
Do Thou, Lord Jesus! by me stand; Let me not be for sak
A favorite Tune of H. R. H. the late Prince Albert, and, with the next Tune, sung at his funeral.
"TO THEE, O LORD! I YIELD MY SPIRIT."*
9s & 8s. Also L. M., 6 lines, by slurring the last two notes
of the first and third lines.
To Thee, O Lord! I yield my spirit, Who break'st in love this mortal chain;
To Thee, O Lord! I yield my spirit,
Who break'st in love this mortal chain;
My life I but from Thee inherit,
And death becomes my chiefest gain.
In Thee I live, in Thee I die
Content, for Thou art ever nigh.
Tossed on time's rude, relentless surges,
Calmly composed, I dauntless stand;
For lo! beyond these scenes emerges
The heights that bound the promised land.
There the wild sea-storm's rage is o'er;
I see the throngs that range the shore.
And now the morn breaks sweetly o'er me,
And all the midnight shadows flee;
Tinged are the distant skies with glory;
Arise, my soul! light breaks o'er thee.
Thy name is graven on the throne
Where thy Redeemer reigns alone.
THEN gathering clouds around I view,
And days are dark, and friends are few,
On Him I lean who not in vain [D.S.]
Experienced every human pain;
He sees my wants, allays my fears,
And counts and treasures up my tears.
When sorrowing o'er some stone I bend,
Which covers what was once a friend,
And from his voice, his hand, his smile,
Divides me for a little while,
Thou, Saviour! mark'st the tears I shed,
For Thou didst weep o'er Lazarus dead.
And O, when I have safely passed
Through every conflict but the last,
Still, still unchanging, watch beside
My painful bed, for Thou hast died;
Then point to realms of cloudless day,
And wipe the latest tear away.
*See note to preceding page.
|