The Farewell

1 Farewell, my brethren in the Lord,
The gospel sounds a jubilee;
My stam'ring tongue shall sound aloud,
From land to land, from sea to sea:
And as I preach from place to place,
I'll trust alone in God's free grace.

2 Farewell in bonds and union dear;
Like strings you twine about my heart;
I humbly beg your earnest pray'r,
Till we shall meet no more to part--
Till we shall meat in worlds above,
Encircled in eternal love.

3 Farewell my earthly friends below,
Tho' all so kind and dear to me;
My Jesus calls, and I must go,
To sound the gospel jubilee--
To sound the joys, and bear the news,
To gentile worlds, and royal Jews.

4 Farewell young people one and all;
While God shall grant me breath to breathe
I'll pray to the Eternal All,
That your dear souls in Christ may live;
That your dear souls prepar'd may be,
To reign in bliss eternally!

5 Farewell to all below the sun;
And as I pass in tears below,
The path is straight my feet shall run;
And God will keep me as I go--
And god will keep me in his hadn
And bring me to the promis'd land.

6 Farewell, farewell! I look above;
Jesus, my friend, to thee I call;
My joy, my crown, my only love,
My safeguard there, my heavn'nly all;
My theme to preach, my song to sing,
My only joy till death--Amen.

Source: Divine Hymns or Spiritual Songs, for the use of religious assemblies and private Christians: being a collection #III