Sweet Be Thy Rest

Top Text Author Text Info Tune Timeline Page Scans Instances

Sweet be thy rest And peaceful thy sleeping

Author: F. E. Belden
Tune: [Sweet be thy rest]
Published in 8 hymnals

Representative Text

1. Sweet be thy rest,
And peaceful thy sleeping;
God's way is best,
Thou art in his keeping.
O blessed sleep,
Where ills ne'er molest thee!
Why should we weep?
For heaven hath blessed thee:
Sweet be thy rest.

2. Thy work is done,
Thy sowing and reaping;
Thy crown is won,
And hush'd is thy weeping.
From tears and woes,
From earth's midnight dreary,
Thine is repose
Where none ever weary:
Sweet be thy rest.

3. Sweet be thy rest;
No more we may greet thee
Till with the blest
In heaven we meet thee.
O union sweet,
That death can not sever!
There we shall meet,
Where sad tears fall never:
Sweet be thy rest.

Source: Christ in Song: for all religious services nearly one thousand best gospel hymns, new and old with responsive scripture readings (Rev. and Enl.) #931

All representative texts • Compare texts ^ top

Author: F. E. Belden

Belden was born in Battle Creek, Michigan in 1858. He began writing music in his late teenage years after moving to California with his family. For health reasons he later moved to Colorado. He returned to Battle Creek with his wife in the early 1880s, and there he became involved in Adventist Church publishing. F. E. Belden wrote many hymn tunes, gospel songs, and related texts in the early years of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Belden was able to rapidly write both music and poetry together which enabled him to write a song to fit a sermon while it was still being delivered. He also wrote songs for evangelist Billy Sunday. Though Belden’s later years were marred by misunderstandings with the church leadership over his royal… Go to person page >

^ top