The Hymnal and Order of Service ‎#597

597. 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 th'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: Anna Lætitia (Aikin) Barbauld (1792)
• Meter: L. M.
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 1937
• Topic: Last Things: Death and Burial

Tune Information

• Name: HERR JESU CHRIST, DICH ZU UNS WEND
• Meter: L. M.
• Key: G Major
• Source: Cantionale Sacrum, Gotha, 1651