5 Thou, in thy youthful prime,
Hast leaped the bounds of time:
Suddenly from earth released,
Lo! we now rejoice for thee;
Taken to an early rest,

6

Caught into eternity.

Thither may we repair,
That glorious bliss to share!
We shall see the welcome day,
We shall to the summons bow;
Come, Redeemer, come away:
Now prepare, and take us now!

431 (142)

8s.

C. WESLEY.

On the Death of a Widow.
IVE glory to Jesus our Head,

With all that encompass His throne;

A widow, a widow indeed,

A mother in Israel is gone!

2 The winter of trouble is past;

The storms of affliction are o'er;
Her struggle is ended at last,

And sorrow and death are no more.
3 The soul hath o'ertaken her mate,
And caught him again in the sky:
Advanced to her happy estate,

And pleasure that never shall die:
4 Where glorified spirits, by sight,
Converse in their holy abode,
As stars in the firmament bright,
And pure as the angels of God.

5 O Heaven! what a triumph is there!
Where all in His praises agree;

His beautiful character bear,

And shine with the glory they see: 6 The glory of God and the Lamb (While all in the ecstasy join) Darts into their spiritual frame, And gives the enjoyment divine.

7 In loud hallelujahs they sing,
And harmony echoes His praise;
When, lo! the celestial King

Pours out the full light of His face:

8 The joy neither angel nor saint
Can bear, so ineffably great ;
But, lo! the whole company faint,
And heaven is found-at His feet.

HOSANNA to God

In His highest abode;

All heaven be joined,

C. WESLEY.

To extol the Redeemer and Friend of mankind!

He claims all our praise,

Who in infinite grace

Again hath stooped down,

And caught up a worm to inherit a crown.

2 Our friend is restored

To the joy of his Lord,

With triumph departs,

But speaks by his death to our echoing hearts: "Follow after," he cries,

As he mounts to the skies,
"Follow after your friend,

To the blissful enjoyments that never shall end."

3

Through Jesus's name,

Our comrade o'ercame;

And Jesus is ours,

And armis us with all His invincible powers: He looks from the skies,

He shows us the prize,
And gives us a sign

That we shall o'ercome by the mercy Divine.

4

For us is prepared

The angelical guard;

The convoy attends,

A ministering host of invisible friends:

Ready winged for their flight
To the regions of light,
The horses are come,

The chariots of Israel to carry us home.

433 (145) HOW

W long shall death, the tyrant, reign,
And triumph o'er the just?
While the rich blood of martyrs slain
Lies mingled with the dust.

2 Lo! I behold the scattered shades!
The dawn of heaven appears;
The sweet, immortal morning spreads
Its blushes round the spheres.
SI see the Lord of Glory come,
And flaming guards around;
The skies divide to make Him room;
The trumpet shakes the ground.
4 I hear the voice, "Ye dead, arise!"
And lo! the graves obey:

And waking saints, with joyful eyes,
Salute the' expected day.

5 They leave the dust, and on the wing
Rise to the midway air;

In shining garments meet their King,
And low adore Him there.

6 O may our humble spirits stand
Among them, clothed in white!
The meanest place at His right hand
Is infinite delight.

434

2

S.M.

AND must this body diam

WATTS.

This well-wrought frame decay?

And must these active limbs of mine
Lie mouldering in the clay?

Corruption, earth, and worms
Shall but refine this flesh;
Till my triumphant spirit comes
To put it on afresh.

$ God, my Redeemer, lives,

4

5

6

And ever from the skies

Looks down, and watches all my dust,
Till He shall bid it rise.

Arrayed in glorious grace

Shall these vile bodies shine;
And every shape and every face
Be heavenly and divine.

These lively hopes we owe,
Lord, to Thy dying love:
O may we bless Thy grace below,
And sing Thy power above!
Saviour, accept the praise
Of these our humble songs,

Till tunes of nobler sound we raise
With our immortal tongues.

435

L.M. 6 lines.

C. WESLEY.

"I know that my Redeemer liveth."—Job xix. 25-27,

CALL the world's Redeemer mine;
He lives who died for me, I know;
Who bought my soul with blood Divine,
Jesus, shall re-appear below,

Stand in that dreadful day unknown,
And fix on earth His heavenly throne.

2 Then the last judgment-day shall coine;
And though the worms this skin devour,
The Judge shall call me from the tomb,
Shall bid the greedy grave restore,
And raise this individual me,
God in the flesh, my God, to see.

S In this identic body I,

With eyes of flesh refined, restored,
Shall see that self-same Saviour nigh,
See for myself my smiling Lord,
See with ineffable delight;

Nor faint to bear the glorious sight.
4 Then let the worms demand their prey,
The greedy grave my reins consume;

With joy I drop my mouldering clay,
And rest till my Redeemer come;
On Christ my Life, in death rely,
Secure that I can never die.

436

C.M.

WATTS.

WHY do we mourn departing friends?

Or shake at death's alarms?

"Tis but the voice that Jesus sends, To call them to His arms.

2 The graves of all His saints He blessed,
And softened every bed:

Where should the dying members rest,
But with their dying Head?

S Thence He arose, ascending high,
And showed our feet the way:
Up to the Lord our flesh shall fly,
At the great rising-day.

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

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

Describing Judgment.

437 (152)

EARKEN to the solemn voice,
The awful midnight cry!
Waiting souls, rejoice, rejoice,
And see the Bridegroom nigh:
Lo! He comes to keep His word,
Light and joy His looks impart;
Go ye forth to meet your Lord,

And meet Him in your heart.
2 Ye who faint beneath the load
Of sin, your heads lift up;
See your great redeeming God,

He comes, and bids you hope:
In the midnight of your grief,
Jesus doth His mourners cheer;
Lo! He brings you sure relief;
Believe, and feel Him here.