Take home thy wandering sheep, For thou hast bought it. LONGING TO BE WITH CHRIST. Having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better. Phil. 1: 23. To Jesus, the crown of my hope, And waft me away to his throne. My Saviour, whom absent I love; All glory, dominion, and power: Dissolve from these bonds, that detain When that happy era begins, When arrayed in thy glories I shine, The bosom on which I recline: O, then shall the veil be removed, And round me thy brightness be poured: I shall meet him whom absent I loved, And then, never more shall the fears, Or, if yet remembered above, Remembrance no sadness shall raise; Thus the strokes which from sin and from pain, Will but strengthen and rivet the chain THE DYING CHRISTIAN. Having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better. Phil. 1: 23. HASTE my spirit, fly away, 'Tis thy gracious Saviour calls, Leave this tenement of clay, Quit its broken, shattered walls; Through these ruins I descry Cease, my friends, to weep for me, Christ and heaven are in my view; God hath sent his envoy, death, Take this ransomed soul of mine; 'TO LIVE IS CHRIST; TO DIE IS GAIN.' Phil. 1: 21. LET thoughtless thousands choose the road To live and die entirely thine! On Christ, by faith, my soul would live, Christ is my everlasting all, Soon will the Lord, my life, appear; Soon will the saints in glory meet; THE DYING CHRISTIAN. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 1 Cor. 15: 55. 'SPIRIT — leave thine house of clay! Lingering dust, resign thy breath! Spirit, cast thy chains away! Dust, be thou dissolved in death.' Thus the Almighty Saviour speaks, While the faithful Christian dies! Thus the bonds of life he breaks, And the ransomed captive flies! 'Prisoner, long detained below! Prisoner, now with freedom blest! Welcome, from a world of woe! Welcome to a land of rest!' Thus the choir of angels sing, As they bear the soul on high! While with hallelujahs, ring All the region of the sky! Grave, the guardian of our dust! Grave, the treasury of the skies! Every atom of thy trust, Rests in hope again to rise! Hark! the judgment-trumpet calls! 'Soul, rebuild thy house of clay; Immortality thy walls, And eternity thy day!' THE DYING BELIEVER. O death, where is thy sting?-1 Cor. 15: 55. DEATHLESS principle, arise! |