5 Thence he arose, ascending high,

And show'd our feet the way: Up to the Lord his saints shall fly At the great rising day.

6 Then let the last loud trumpet sound,
And bid our kindred rise;

Awake, ye nations under ground!
Ye saints! ascend the skies.

The peaceful Death of the Righteous. 1 SWEET is the scene when Christians die, When holy souls retire to rest: How mildly beams the closing eye!

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 Triumphant smiles the victor's brow, Fann'd by some guardian angel's wing: O grave! where is thy victory now?

And where, O death! where is thy sting

147

HYMN. S. M.

10 FOR the death of those

Who slumber in the Lord!
O be like theirs my last repose,
Like theirs my last reward.

2 Their bodies, in the ground,
In silent hope may lie,
Till the last trumpet's joyful sound
Shall call them to the sky.

3 Their ransom'd spirits soar

On wings of faith and love,
To meet the Saviour they adore,
And reign with him above.

4 With us their names shall live

Through long succeeding years, Embalm'd with all our hearts can give, Our praises and our tears.

5 O for the death of those

Who slumber in the Lord:
O be like theirs my last repose,
Like theirs my last reward.

148

TIME AND ETERNITY.

HYMN. C. M.

Time short and misspent.

1 HOW short and hasty is our life!
How vast our soul's affairs!
Yet senseless mortals vainly strive
To lavish out their years.

2 Our days run thoughtlessly along,
Without a moment's stay;

Just like a story, or a song,
We pass our lives away.

3 God from on high invites us home,
But we march heedless on,
And, ever hastening to the tomb,
Stoop downward as we run.

4 How we deserve the deepest hell,
That slight the joys above!

What chains of vengeance should we feel, That break such cords of love!

5 Draw us, O God, with sov’reign grace,
And lift our thoughts on high,

That we may end this mortal race,
And see salvation nigh.

1 THE time is short !-sinners, beware,
Nor trifle time away:

The word of great salvation hear,
While yet 'tis called to-day.

2 The time is short!-O sinners, now,
To Christ the Lord submit;
To mercy's golden sceptre bow,
And fall at Jesus' feet.

3 The time is short!—ye saints, rejoice—
The Lord will quickly come :
Soon shall you hear the Saviour's voice,
To call you to your home.

4 The time is short!-it swiftly flies-
The hour is just at hand,

When we shall mount above the skies,
And reach the wished-for land.

5 The time is short!-the moment near,
When we shall dwell above;
And be forever happy there,
With Jesus, whom we love.

Time the Period to prepare for Eternity.

1 THEE we adore, Eternal Name!
And humbly own to thee,

How feeble is our mortal frame,
What dying worms are we!

2 The year rolls round, and steals away
The breath that first it gave;
Whate'er we do-where'er we be,
We're travelling to the grave.

3 Great God! on what a slender thread
Hang everlasting things!
Th' eternal state of all the dead
Upon life's feeble strings!

4 Eternal joy-or endless wo
Attends on every breath!
And yet how unconcern'd we go
Upon the brink of death!

5 Awake, O Lord, our drowsy sense,
To walk this dang'rous road;
And if our souls are hurried hence,
May they be found with God.

1 LIFE is the time to serve the Lord,
The time t' insure the great reward;
And while the lamp holds out to burn,
The vilest sinner may return.

2 Life is the hour that God has given
T'escape from hell, and fly to heaven;
The day of grace-and mortals may
Secure the blessings of the day.

3 Then, what my thoughts design to do,
My hands, with all your might, pursue;
Since no device, nor work, is found,
Nor faith, nor hope, beneath the ground.

4 There are no acts of pardon pass'd
In the cold grave to which we haste;
But darkness, death, and long despair
Reign in eternal silence there.

TO-MORROW, Lord, is thine,
Lodg'd in thy sov'reign hand;
And if its sun arise and shine,
It shines by thy command.

2 The present moment flies,
And bears our life away;
O make thy servants truly wise,
That they may live to-day.

3 Since on this fleeting hour
Eternity is hung,

Awake, by thine Almighty pow'r,
The aged and the young.

4 One thing demands our care;
O! be that still pursu'd!
Lest, slighted once, the season fair
Should never be renew'd.

5 To Jesus may we fly,

Swift as the morning light,

Lest life's young golden beams should die
In sudden endless night.

1 SHINE on our souls, eternal God,
With rays of mercy shine:
O let thy favour crown our days,
And all their round be thine.

2 With thee let every week begin;
With thee each day be spent;
To thee each fleeting hour be given,
Since each by thee is lent.

3 Thus cheer us through this desert road, Till all our labours cease ;

Till heav'n refresh our weary souls
With everlasting peace.

1 ETERNITY is just at hand,
And shall I waste my ebbing sand?
And careless view departing day,
And throw my inch of time away?
2 Eternity!-tremendous sound!-
To guilty souls a dreadful wound!
But O! if Christ and heav'n be mine,
How sweet the accents!-how divine!
3 Be this my chief, my only care-
My high pursuit-my ardent pray'r―
An interest in the Saviour's blood,
My pardon seal'd, and peace with God.
4 But should my brightest hopes be vain;
The rising doubts how sharp their pain;
My fears, O gracious God, remove,
Confirm my title to thy love.

5 Search, Lord-O search my inmost heart,
And light, and hope, and joy, impart;
From guilt and error set me free,
And guide me safe to heav'n and thee.

155

THE JUDGMENT.

HYMN. C. M.

Triumph over Death in Hope of the Resurrection.

1 GREAT God, I own thy sentence just, And nature must decay;

I yield my body to the dust,

To dwell with fellow clay.

2 Yet faith may triumph o'er the grave,
And trample on the tombs;
My great Redeemer ever lives,
My God, my Saviour, comes.

3 The mighty Conqu'ror shall appear,
High on a royal seat;

And death, the last of all his foes,
Lie vanquish'd at his feet.