Eternity

Verse 1

“Forever with the Lord!”
Amen, so let it be;
Life from the dead is in that word,
’Tis immortality.
Here in the body pent,
Absent from him I roam,
Yet nightly pitch my moving tent
A day’s march nearer home;
Nearer home, nearer home,
A day’s march nearer home.

Verse 2

My Father’s house on high,
Home of my soul, how near,
At times, to faith’s aspiring eye
Thy golden gates appear.
Ah! then my spirit faints
To reach the land I love;
The bright inheritance of saints--
Jerusalem above;
Home above, home above,
Jerusalem above.

Verse 3

Yet doubts still intervene,
And all my comfort flies;
Like Noah’s dove, I flit between
Rough seas and stormy skies.
Anon the clouds depart,
The wind and waters cease,
While sweetly o’er my gladdened heart
Expands the bow of peace;
Bow of peace, bow of peace,
Expands the bow of peace.

Verse 1

For ever with the Lord!
Amen, so let it be;
Life from the dead is in that word,
’Tis immortality:
Here in the body pent,
Absent from Him I roam,
Yet nightly pitch my moving tent
A day’s march nearer home.

Verse 2

My Father’s house on high,
Home of my soul, how near,
At times, to faith’s foreseeing eye,
Thy golden gates appear:
Ah! then my spirit faints
To reach the land I love,
The bright inheritance of saints,
Jerusalem above.

Verse 3

I hear at morn and even,
At noon and midnight hour,
The choral harmonies of heaven
Earth’s Babel tongues o’erpower:
Then, then I feel that He,
Remembered or forgot,
The Lord, is never far from me,
Though I perceive Him not.

Verse 4

For ever with the Lord!
Father, if ’tis Thy will,
The promise of that faithful word
E’en here to me fulfil;
Be Thou at my right hand,
Then can I never fail,
Uphold Thou me, and I shall stand;
Fight, and I must prevail.

Verse 5

So when my latest breath
Shall rend the veil in twain,
By death I shall escape from death,
And life eternal gain.
Knowing as I am known,
How shall I love that word,
And oft repeat before the throne,
“For ever with the Lord!”

Verse 1

For thee, O dear, dear country,
Mine eyes their vigils keep;
For very love, beholding
Thy happy name, they weep.
The mention of thy glory
Is unction to the breast,
And medicine in sickness,
And love, and life, and rest.

Verse 2

Oh, sweet and blessed country,
The home of God’s elect!
Oh, sweet and blessed country,
That eager hearts expect!
Jesus, in mercy bring us
To that dear land of rest;
Who art, with God the Father,
And Spirit, ever blest.

Verse 1

Great God, how infinite art Thou!
What worthless worms are we!
Let the whole race of creatures bow
And pay their praise to Thee.

Verse 2

Thy throne eternal ages stood,
Ere seas or stars were made:
Thou art the ever-living God,
Were all the nations dead.

Verse 3

Eternity, with all its years,
Stands present in Thy view;
To Thee there’s nothing old appears;
Great God, there’s nothing new.

Verse 4

Our lives through various scenes are drawn,
And vexed with trifling cares;
While Thine eternal thought moves on
Thine undisturbed affairs.

Verse 5

Great God, how infinite art Thou!
What worthless worms are we!
Let the whole race of creatures bow,
And pay their praise to Thee.

Verse 1

In the Christian’s home in glory,
There remains a land of rest;
There my Savior’s gone before me
To fulfill my soul’s request.

Refrain

There is rest for the weary,
There is rest for the weary,
There is rest for the weary,
There is rest for you.
On the other side of Jordan,
In the sweet fields of Eden,
Where the tree of life is blooming,
There is rest for you.

Verse 2

He is fitting up my mansion,
Which eternally shall stand.
For my stay shall not be transient,
In that holy, happy land.

Verse 3

Pain and sickness ne’er shall enter,
Grief nor woe my lot shall share;
But, in that celestial center,
I a crown of life shall wear.

Verse 4

Death itself shall then be vanquished
And his sting shall be withdrawn;
Shout for gladness, oh, ye ransomed
Hail with joy the rising morn

Verse 5

Sing, oh! sing, ye heirs of glory
Shout your triumph as you go;
Zion’s gate will open for you,
You shall find an entrance through.

Verse 1

In the Christian’s home in glory,
There remains a land of rest;
There my Savior’s gone before me
To fulfill my soul’s request.

Refrain

There is rest for the weary,
There is rest for the weary,
There is rest for the weary,
There is rest for you.
On the other side of Jordan,
In the sweet fields of Eden,
Where the tree of life is blooming,
There is rest for you.

Verse 2

He is fitting up my mansion,
Which eternally shall stand.
For my stay shall not be transient,
In that holy, happy land.

Verse 3

Pain and sickness ne’er shall enter,
Grief nor woe my lot shall share;
But, in that celestial center,
I a crown of life shall wear.

Verse 4

Death itself shall then be vanquished
And his sting shall be withdrawn;
Shout for gladness, oh, ye ransomed
Hail with joy the rising morn

Verse 5

Sing, oh! sing, ye heirs of glory
Shout your triumph as you go;
Zion’s gate will open for you,
You shall find an entrance through.

Verse 1

I saw a way-worn trav’ler,
In tattered garments clad,
And struggling up the mountain,
It seemed that he was sad;
His back was laden heavy,
His strength was almost gone,
Yet he shouted as he journeyed,
Deliverance will come.

Refrain

Then palms of victory, crowns of glory,
Palms of victory I shall wear.

Verse 2

The summer sun was shining,
The sweat was on his brow,
His garments worn and dusty,
His step seemed very slow;
But he kept pressing onward,
For he was wending home;
Still shouting as he journeyed,
Deliverance will come.

Verse 3

The songsters in the arbor
That stood beside the way
Attracted his attention,
Inviting his delay;
His watchword being “Onward,”
He stopped his ears and run,
Still shouting as he journeyed,
Deliverance will come.

Verse 4

I saw him in the evening,
The sun was bending low,
He’d overtopped the mountain
And reached the vale below;
He saw the golden city,--
His everlasting home,--
And shouted loud, Hosanna,
Deliverance will come!

Verse 5

While gazing on that city,
Just o’er the narrow flood,
A band of holy angels
Came from the throne of God;
They bore him on their pinions
Safe o’er the dashing foam,
And joined him in his triumph,--
Deliverance has come!

Verse 6

I heard the song of triumph
They sang upon that shore,
Saying, Jesus has redeemed us
To suffer nevermore:
Then, casting his eyes backward
On the race which he had run,
He shouted loud, Hosanna,
Deliverance has come!

Verse 1

I will sing you a song of that beautiful land,
The far away home of the soul;
Where no storms ever beat on the glittering strand,
While the years of eternity roll.

Verse 2

Oh, that home of the soul, in my visions and dreams
Its bright jasper walls I can see;
Till I fancy but thinly the veil intervenes
Between the fair city and me.

Verse 3

That unchangeable home is for you and for me,
Where Jesus of Nazareth stands,
The King of all kingdoms forever is he,
And he holdeth our crowns in his hands.

Verse 4

Oh, how sweet it will be in that beautiful land,
So free from all sorrow and pain;
With songs on our lips and with harps in our hands,
To meet one another again.