Hymnal and Order of Service ‎#323

323. 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 A holy quiet reigns around,
A calm which life nor death destroys;
And naught disturbs that peace profound
Which his unfettered soul enjoys.

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

4 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!"

Amen.

Text Information

• First Line: How blest the righteous when he dies!
• Title: How Blest the Righteous When he Dies
• Author: Mrs. Anna Laetitia Barbauld, 1743-1808 (1792)
• Meter: L. M.
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 1901
• Topic: Death and Resurrection

Tune Information

• Name: CONSTANCE
• Composer: Henry J. Gauntlett, Mus. Doc., 1806-1876 (1874)
• Meter: L. M.