2 Then, when our inner life shall break
The brittle shell of clay,

O may our souls, for Jesus' sake,
Find mercy in that day!

3 The day will dawn when Christ will come To open every grave,

To welcome all His people home,

The second time to save.

4 O when the trumpet's voice shall sound, And earth and time decay,

May we among His saints be found,
To praise Him in that day!

313

Death Sometimes Sudden.

L.M.

1 DEATH, in a thousand dreadful forms, Sweeps down our mortal, sinful race; The grave, corruption, earth, and worms Shortly must be our dwelling-place. 2 But O the soul that never dies, It cannot to the grave repair;

But to th' eternal bar it flies,

And hears and knows its sentence there! 3 And to the earth must I return, And fall by death's relentless hand? Be this, my soul, thy chief concern, That thou by grace mayst ready stand. 4 Then shall my life on earth be blest, And death itself be safe and sweet; In Jesus' bosom I shall rest, And my salvation be complete.

314 None too Young to Die.
1 YOUNG as I am, and free from pain,
I'm not too young to die;

This flesh must sink to dust again,
Must in corruption lie.

2 Children as young, as strong as I,
Have sunk in early death;
And I may soon be called to die,
And render up my breath.
3 These eyes may soon for ever close,
This tongue forget to sing;

C. M.

Soon death may give these powers repose,
And bliss or sorrow bring.

4 Lord, if it be Thy blessed will
Soon to command me home,
In me Thy great designs fulfil,
And fit me for the tomb.

L.M.

1 DEATH and the grave are doleful themes
For sinful, mortal worms to sing,
Except a Saviour's brighter beams
Dispel the gloom and touch the string.
Death, awful sound! the fruit of sin,
And terror of the human race;
Who, except Jesus smiles within,
Can look the monster in the face?
3 Yet, mighty Lord, when viewed in Thee,
The monster loses all his dread;
There all his frightful horrors flee,
And joy surrounds a dying bed.

4 Jesus, the mighty Saviour, lives, And He has conquered death and hell; This truth substantial comfort gives, And dying saints can sing, 'Tis well! 316 Only Support in Death. 8.8.8.8.8.8. 1 LET reason vainly boast her power To teach her children how to die, The sinner, in a dying hour,

Needs more than wisdom can supply: A view of Christ, the sinner's Friend, Alone can cheer him in his end. 2 When nature sinks beneath disease, And every earthly hope is fled, What then can give the sinner ease,

And make him love a dying bed?
Jesus, Thy smile his heart can cheer;
He's blest e'en then if Thou art near.
317 Hope beyond the Grave.
1 THERE is an hour when we must go
Beneath the gloomy wave;

O may we have, while here below,
A hope beyond the grave!

2 To God we soon shall have to yield
The breath that first He gave ;
May Jesus be in us revealed-
A hope beyond the grave.

3 From Thee, Almighty Saviour, now
May we this blessing crave;

A light in darkness, Lord, be Thou,
Our hope beyond the grave.

C.M.

4 Thy voice alone must bid us live;
No other arm can save;

318

No other power but Thine can give
A hope beyond the grave.

Contrast in Death.

1 WHAT scenes of horror and of dread
Await the sinner's dying bed!
Death's terrors all appear in sight,
Forerunners of eternal night.

L.M.

2 His sins in dreadful order rise, And fill his soul with sad surprise; Mount Sinai's thunder stuns his ears, And not one ray of hope appears. 3 Tormenting pangs distract his breast; Where'er he turns he finds no rest : Death strikes the blow; he groans and cries, And, in despair and horror, dies. 4 Not so the heir of heavenly bliss,His soul is filled with conscious peace; A steady faith subdues his fear; He sees the happy Canaan near. 5 His mind is tranquil and serene; No terrors in his looks are seen; His Saviour's smile dispels the gloom, And smooths his passage to the tomb. 319 Death of a Gracious Child. 1 How blest are they who early know A sweet release from all below! Whose sun before 'tis noon declines, To rise where cloudless glory shines!

L. M

2 How sweet the Shepherd's voice! how kind,
To bid them leave the world behind,
Preserved from all its toils and harms
By Him who folds them in His arms!
3 Too frail to meet its wintry storms,
And sorrow in its varied forms,
He calls the little ones to rest
Eternally upon His breast.

4 No longer may they linger here,
To tread this cold, ungenial sphere;
The Master, in His wisdom, sees
An early heaven is best for these.
5 There safely sheltered now, they miss
The turmoil of a world like this;
Obtain the victory ere they fight,
And walk with Jesus Christ in white.

320

Death of a Young Person.

C.M.

1 WHEN blooming youth is snatched away By death's resistless hand,

Our hearts the mournful tribute pay,
Which pity must demand.

2 While pity prompts the rising sigh,
O may this truth, impressed

With solemn power, 'I too must die,'
Sink deep in every breast!

3 Great God Thy sovereign grace impart,
With cleansing, healing power;
This only can prepare the heart
For death's surprising hour.