Book of Worship (Rev. ed.) ‎#481

481. How blest the righteous when he dies!

1 How blest the righteous when he dies!
When sinks a weary soul to rest!
How mildly beam the closing eyes!
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 A holy quiet reigns around,
A calm which life nor death destroys;
And nought disturbs that peace profound
Which his unfetter'd soul enjoys.

4 Farewell, conflicting hopes and fears,
Where lights and shades alternate dwell;
How bright th’unchanging morn appears!
Farewell, inconstant world, farewell!

5 Life’s labor done, as sinks the clay,
Light from its load the spirit flies,
While heaven and earth combine to say,
"How blest the righteous when he dies!"

Text Information

• First Line: How blest the righteous when he dies!
• Meter: L. M.
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 1870
• Topic: Righteousness: Blessings of; Victory
• Notes: Author from index: Barbauld

Tune Information

(No tune information)