Browse by Genre

Verse 1

’Tis midnight; and on Olive’s brow
The star is dimmed that lately shone;
’Tis midnight; in the garden, now,
The suffering Savior prays alone.

Verse 2

’Tis midnight; and, from all removed,
The Savior wrestles lone with fears;
E’en that disciple whom he loved
Heeds not his Master’s grief and tears.

Verse 3

’Tis midnight; and for others’ guilt
The man of sorrows weeps in blood;
Yet he that hath in anguish knelt
Is not forsaken by his God.

Verse 4

’Tis midnight; and from ether plains
Is borne the song that angels know;
Unheard by mortals are the strains
That sweetly soothe the Savior’s woe.

Verse 1

From Calvary a cry was heard--
A bitter and heart-rending cry;
My Savior! ev’ry mournful word
Bespoke thy soul’s deep agony

Verse 2

A horror of great darkness fell
On thee, thou spotless holy One!
And all the eager hosts of hell
Conspired to tempt God’s only Son.

Verse 3

The scourge, the thorns, the deep disgrace,
These thou could’st bear, nor once repine;
But when Jehovah veiled his face,
Unutterable pangs were thine.

Verse 4

Let the dumb world its silence break;
Let pealing anthems rend the sky;
Awake, my sluggish soul, awake!
He died that we might never die.

Verse 1

Great God, when I approach thy throne
And all thy glory see;
This is my stay, and this alone,
That Jesus died for me.

Verse 2

How can a soul condemned to die,
Escape the just decree?
Helpless and full of sin am I,
But Jesus died for me.

Verse 3

Burdened with sin’s oppressive chain,
Oh, how can I get free?
No peace can all my efforts gain,
But Jesus died for me.

Verse 4

And, Lord, when I behold thy face,
This must be all my plea;
Save me by thy almighty grace,
For Jesus died for me.

Verse 1

O Jesus! sweet the tears I shed,
While at thy cross I kneel,
Gaze on thy wounded, fainting head,
And all thy sorrows feel.

Verse 2

My heart dissolves to see thee bleed,
This heart so hard before;
I hear thee for the guilty plead,
And grief o’erflows the more.

Verse 3

’Twas for the sinful thou didst die,
And I a sinner stand;
What love speaks from thy dying eye,
And from each pierced hand!

Verse 4

I know this cleansing blood of thine
Was shed, dear Lord, for me;
For me, for all--oh, grace divine!--
Who look by faith on thee.

Verse 1

Oppressed with noon-day’s scorching heat,
To yonder cross I flee;
Beneath its shelter take my seat:
No shade like this for me!

Verse 2

Beneath that cross clear waters burst,
A fountain sparkling free;
And there I quench my desert thirst:
No spring like this for me!

Verse 3

A stranger here, I pitch my tent
Beneath this spreading tree;
Here shall my pilgrim life be spent:
No home like this for me!

Verse 4

For burdened ones a resting-place
Beside that cross I see;
Here I cast off my weariness:
No rest like this for me!

Verse 1

The cross, the cross, the blood-stained cross!
The hallowed cross I see;
Reminding me of precious blood
That once was shed for me.

Refrain

Oh, the blood, the precious blood,
That Jesus shed for me;
Upon the cross, in crimson flood,
Just now by faith I see.

Verse 2

The cross, the cross, that heavy cross,
My Savior bore for me;
It bowed him to the earth with grief
On sad Mount Calvary

Verse 3

The wounds, the wounds, those painful wounds;
Oh, they were made for me!
His hands and feet, his holy head,
All pierced and torn I see.

Verse 4

The death, the death, the awful death!
That Jesus died for me;
I heard his groans, his prayer, “Forgive,”
His bleeding side I see.

Verse 5

The love, the love, the matchless love,
That bled upon the tree!
It melts my heart, it wins my love,
It brings me, Lord, to thee.

Verse 1

Are there no wounds for me?
Hast thou received them all?
How can I, Lord, the anguish see,
Beneath which thou didst fall?

Verse 2

’Tis over now, I know,--
That suffering life of thine;
Thy precious blood has ceased to flow,
Thou wear’st thy crown divine;

Verse 3

But yet, I weeping see
The thorns which pierced thy head;
Thou faint’st beneath thy cross for me,
For me to death thou’rt led!

Verse 4

Meekly, with love divine,
Thy holy head is bent,
And streams of blood, for sins of mine,
Flow where thy side is rent.

Verse 5

Beneath this sacred flood
I bow my sinful soul;
Dear Savior, let thy precious blood
Wash me and make me whole.

Verse 1

By thy birth, and by thy tears;
By thy human griefs and fears;
By thy conflict in the hour
Of the subtle tempter’s power--
Savior, look with pitying eye;
Savior, help me, or I die.

Verse 2

By the tenderness that wept
O’er the grave where Laz’rus slept;
By the bitter tears that flow’d
Over Salem’s lost abode--
Savior, look with thy pitying eye;
Savior, help me, or I die.

Verse 3

By thy lonely hour of prayer;
By the fearful conflict there;
By thy cross and dying cries;
By thy one great sacrifice,--
Savior, look with pitying eye;
Savior, help me, or I die.

Verse 4

By thy triumph o’er the grave;
By thy power the lost to save;
By thy high, majestic throne;
By the empire all thine own,--
Savior, look with pitying eye;
Savior, help me, or I die.

Verse 1

In the cross of Christ I glory,
Towering o’er the wrecks of time;
All the light of sacred story
Gathers round its head sublime.

Verse 2

When the woes of life o’ertake me,
Hopes deceive, and fears annoy,
Never shall the cross forsake me;
Lo! it glows with peace and joy.

Verse 3

When the sun of bliss is beaming
Light and love upon my way,
From the cross the radiance streaming
Adds more luster to the day.

Verse 4

Bane and blessing, pain and pleasure
By the cross are sanctified;
Peace is there, that knows no measure,
Joys that through all time abide.

Verse 1

I gave my life for thee,
My precious blood I shed,
That thou mightst ransomed be,
And quickened from the dead;
I gave, I gave my life for thee,
What hast thou given for me?

Verse 2

My Father’s house of light,
My glory-circled throne,
I left for earthly night,
For wand’rings sad and lone;
I left, I left it all for thee,
Hast thou left aught for me?

Verse 3

I suffered much for thee,
More than thy tongue can tell,
Of bitterest agony,
To rescue thee from hell;
I’ve borne, I’ve borne it all for thee,
What hast thou borne for me?

Verse 4

And I have brought to thee,
Down from my home above,
Salvation full and free,
My pardon and my love;
I bring, I bring rich gifts to thee,
What hast thou brought to me?

Verse 1

Jesus, keep me near the cross
There a precious fountain
Free to all--a healing stream,
Flows from Calvary’s mountain.

Refrain

In the cross, in the cross,
Be my glory ever,
Till my raptured soul shall find
Rest beyond the river.

Verse 2

Near the cross, a trembling soul,
Love and mercy found me;
There the bright and morning star
Shed its beams around me.

Verse 3

Near the cross, O Lamb of God,
Bring its scenes before me;
Help me walk from day to day,
With its shadows o’er me.

Verse 4

Near the cross I’ll watch and wait,
Hoping, trusting ever,
Till I reach the golden strand,
Just beyond the river.

Verse 1

’Tis midnight; and on Olive’s brow
The star is dimmed that lately shone;
’Tis midnight; in the garden, now,
The suffering Savior prays alone.

Verse 2

’Tis midnight; and, from all removed,
The Savior wrestles lone with fears;
E’en that disciple whom he loved
Heeds not his Master’s grief and tears.

Verse 3

’Tis midnight; and for others’ guilt
The man of sorrows weeps in blood;
Yet he that hath in anguish knelt
Is not forsaken by his God.

Verse 4

’Tis midnight; and from ether plains
Is borne the song that angels know;
Unheard by mortals are the strains
That sweetly soothe the Savior’s woe.

Verse 1

It is not death to die,--
To leave this weary road,
And, midst the brotherhood on high,
To be at home with God.

Verse 2

It is not death to close
The eye long dimmed by tears,
And wake, in glorious repose
To spend eternal years.

Verse 3

It is not death to fling
Aside this sinful dust,
And rise, on strong exulting wing,
To live among the just.

Verse 4

Jesus, thou Prince of life!
Thy chosen cannot die;
Like thee, they conquer in the strife,
To reign with thee on high.

Verse 1

A few more years shall roll,
A few more seasons come,
And we shall be with those that rest
Asleep within the tomb.

Verse 2

A few more suns shall set
O’er these dark hills of time,
And we shall be where suns are not,
A far serener clime.

Verse 3

A few more storms shall beat
On this wild rocky shore,
And we shall be where tempests cease,
And surges swell no more.

Verse 4

A few more struggles here,
A few more partings o’er,
A few more toils, a few more tears,
And we shall weep no more.

Verse 5

’Tis but a little while
And he shall come again,
Who died that we might live, who lives
That we with him may reign.

Verse 6

Then, O my Lord, prepare
My soul for that great day;
Oh, wash me in thy precious blood,
And take my sins away.

Verse 1

Asleep in Jesus! blessed sleep,
From which none ever wakes to weep;
A calm and undisturbed repose,
Unbroken by the dread of foes.

Verse 2

Asleep in Jesus! peaceful rest,
Whose waking is supremely blest;
No fear, no woes, shall dim the hour,
Which manifests the Savior’s power.

Verse 3

Asleep in Jesus! oh, for me
May such a blissful refuge be;
Securely shall my ashes lie,
And wait the summons from on high.

Verse 4

Asleep in Jesus! far from thee
Thy kindred and their graves may be;
But thine is still a blessed sleep,
From whence none ever wake to weep.

Verse 1

Why should our tears in sorrow flow
When God recalls his own,
And bids them leave a world of woe,
For an immortal crown?

Verse 2

Is not e’en death a gain to those
Whose life to God was given?
Gladly to earth their eyes they close
To open them in heaven.

Verse 3

Their toils are past, their work is done,
And they are fully blest!
They fought the fight, the victory won,
And entered into rest.

Verse 4

Then let our sorrows cease to flow,--
God has recalled his own;
But let our hearts, in every woe,
Still say, “Thy will be done!”

Verse 1

I would not live alway; I ask not to stay
Where storm after storm rises dark o’er the way;
The few cloudy mornings that dawn on us here
Are enough for life’s woes, full enough for its cheer.

Verse 2

I would not live alway; no, welcome the tomb!
Since Jesus has lain there, I dread not its gloom;
There sweet be my rest till he bid me arise,
To hail him in triumph descending the skies.

Verse 3

Who, who would live alway, away from his God,
Away from yon heaven, that blissful abode,
Where the rivers of pleasure flow o’er the bright plains,
And the noontide of glory eternally reigns;

Verse 4

Where the saints of all ages in harmony meet,
Their Savior and brethren transported to greet;
While the anthems of rapture unceasingly roll,
And the smile of the Lord is the feast of the soul?

Verse 1

My days are gliding swiftly by,
And I a pilgrim stranger,
Would not detain them as they fly,
Those hours of toil and danger.

Refrain

For, oh! we stand on Jordan’s strand,
Our friends are passing over;
And, just before, the shining shore
We may almost discover.

Verse 2

We’ll gird our loins, my brethren dear!
Our heav’nly home discerning;
Our absent Lord has left us word,--
“Let ev’ry lamp be burning.”

Verse 3

Should coming days be cold and dark,
We need not cease our singing;
That perfect rest none can molest,
Where golden harps are ringing.

Verse 4

Let sorrow’s rudest tempest blow,
Each cord on earth to sever;
Our King says,--“Come!” and there’s our home,
Forever, oh! forever!

Verse 1

Wayfarers in the wilderness,
By morn, and noon, and even,
Day after day, we journey on,
With weary feet toward heaven.

Refrain

O land above! O land of love!
The glory shineth o’er thee;
O Christ, our King! in mercy bring
Us thither, we implore thee!

Verse 2

By day the cloud before us goes,
By night the cloud of fire,
To guide us o’er the trackless waste,
To Canaan ever nigher.

Verse 3

The sea was riven from our feet,
And so shall be the river;
And, by the King’s highway brought home,
We’ll praise his name forever:

Verse 1

One sweetly solemn thought
Comes to me o’er and o’er;
I’m nearer home to-day
Than e’er I’ve been before.

Refrain

I’m nearer my home, nearer my home,
Nearer my home to-day;
Yes, nearer my home in heav’n to-day,
Than ever I’ve been before.

Verse 2

Nearer my Father’s house
Where the blest mansions be;
Nearer the great white throne,
Nearer the crystal sea;

Verse 3

Nearer the bound where we
Must lay our burdens down,
Nearer to leave the cross,
Nearer to gain the crown.

Verse 4

The waves of that deep sea
Roll dark before my sight,
But break, the other side,
Upon a shore of light.

Verse 5

Oh! if my mortal feet
Have almost gained the brink,
If I am nearer home
To-day than e’en I think,

Verse 6

Father! perfect my trust,
That I may rest, in death,
On Christ, my Lord, alone,
And thus resign my breath.

Verse 1

There is no flock, however watched and tended,
But one dead lamb is there!
There is no fireside, howsoe’er defended,
But has one vacant chair!
The air is full of farewells to the dying,
And mournings for the dead;
The heart of Rachel for her children crying
Will not be comforted!

Verse 2

Let us be patient, these severe afflictions
Not from the ground arise,
But oftentimes celestial benedictions
Assume this dark disguise.
We see but dimly thro’ the mists and vapors,
Amid these earthly damps,
What seem to us but sad, funereal tapers,
May be heav’ns distant lamps.

Verse 3

She is not dead, the child of our affection,
But gone unto that school
Where she no longer needs our poor protection,
And Christ himself doth rule.
In that great cloister’s stillness and seclusion,
By guardian angels led,
Safe from temptation, safe from sin’s pollution,
She lives whom we call dead.

Verse 4

And tho’ at times, impetuous with emotion,
And anguish long suppressed,
The swelling heart heaves moaning like the ocean
That cannot be at rest:
We will be patient--and assuage the feeling
We cannot wholly stay,
By silence sanctifying, not concealing
The grief that must have way.

Verse 1

Rest, weary pilgrim, thy journey is o’er,
Rest, sweetly rest, on the beautiful shore;
Safely at last thou hast reached the bright goal,
Fatherland, home of the soul.

Verse 2

Never again shall thy storm-beaten breast
Sigh, deeply sigh, for the sweet “land of rest;”
Gone to the Savior’s bright mansion above,
Rest in the light of his love.

Verse 3

Rest, weary pilgrim, thy journey is o’er,
Rest, sweetly rest, on the beautiful shore;
Dangers and troubles shall harm thee no more,
Rest on the beautiful shore.

Verse 1

Jesus, keep me near the cross
There a precious fountain
Free to all--a healing stream,
Flows from Calvary’s mountain.

Refrain

In the cross, in the cross,
Be my glory ever,
Till my raptured soul shall find
Rest beyond the river.

Verse 2

Near the cross, a trembling soul,
Love and mercy found me;
There the bright and morning star
Shed its beams around me.

Verse 3

Near the cross, O Lamb of God,
Bring its scenes before me;
Help me walk from day to day,
With its shadows o’er me.

Verse 4

Near the cross I’ll watch and wait,
Hoping, trusting ever,
Till I reach the golden strand,
Just beyond the river.

Verse 1

I gave my life for thee,
My precious blood I shed,
That thou mightst ransomed be,
And quickened from the dead;
I gave, I gave my life for thee,
What hast thou given for me?

Verse 2

My Father’s house of light,
My glory-circled throne,
I left for earthly night,
For wand’rings sad and lone;
I left, I left it all for thee,
Hast thou left aught for me?

Verse 3

I suffered much for thee,
More than thy tongue can tell,
Of bitterest agony,
To rescue thee from hell;
I’ve borne, I’ve borne it all for thee,
What hast thou borne for me?

Verse 4

And I have brought to thee,
Down from my home above,
Salvation full and free,
My pardon and my love;
I bring, I bring rich gifts to thee,
What hast thou brought to me?

Verse 1

Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar
When I put out to sea,

Verse 2

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.

Verse 3

Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell
When I embark;

Verse 4

For, though from out our bourne of time and place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crost the bar.

Verse 1

My days are gliding swiftly by,
And I a pilgrim stranger,
Would not detain them as they fly,
Those hours of toil and danger.

Refrain

For, oh! we stand on Jordan’s strand,
Our friends are passing over;
And, just before, the shining shore
We may almost discover.

Verse 2

We’ll gird our loins, my brethren dear!
Our heav’nly home discerning;
Our absent Lord has left us word,--
“Let ev’ry lamp be burning.”

Verse 3

Should coming days be cold and dark,
We need not cease our singing;
That perfect rest none can molest,
Where golden harps are ringing.

Verse 4

Let sorrow’s rudest tempest blow,
Each cord on earth to sever;
Our King says,--“Come!” and there’s our home,
Forever, oh! forever!