COVENTRY. C.M. Old Tune. 3 A - MEN. 467. "In my Father's house are many mansions." I CANNOT think of them as dead The Father's house is mansioned fair All souls are his, and here or there And still their silent ministry Within my heart hath place As when on earth they walked with me And met me face to face. Their lives are made forever mine; What they to me have been Hath left henceforth its seal and sign Engraven deep within. Mine are they by an ownership Nor time nor death can free; THE glorious universe around, The heavens with all their train, Sun, moon, and stars, are firmly bound In one mysterious chain. In one fraternal bond of love, The saints below and saints above Here, in their house of pilgrimage, James Montgomery To joy celestial rise. Let all the saints terrestrial sing With those to glory gone: For all the servants of our King In earth and heaven are one. One family, we dwell in him, One Church, above, beneath, Though now divided by the stream, The narrow stream of death. One army of the living God, To his command we bow: Part of his host hath crossed the flood, His militant, embodied host, Charles Wesley. "Sorrow not, even as others which have no hope." We would not dare their bliss to mourn Lord! they have parted in thy fear: Lord! grant us grace, their followers here, To thee our thanks melodious soar In their full bliss above. AMEN. Thomas H. Gill. LORD! if our dwelling-place thou art, Death has no bidding to divide The souls that dwell in thee: Yes, all who in the Lord abide They mingle still their songs, their prayers, Thy people, Lord, are one, Thy people in the vale of tears, Thy people near the throne. The souls most precious to us here Midst cherubim and seraphim They mind their Lord's affairs; Oh! if we bring our work to him, Our work is one with theirs. Thomas H. Gillt 477. "The spirit shall return unto God who gave it." CALM on the bosom of thy God, Young spirit, rest thee now: E'en while with us thy footstep trod, His seal was on thy brow. Dust, to its narrow house beneath; They that have seen thy look in death Lone are the paths, and sad the hours, In heaven, is now thine own. As they may need, still deign to bring The helping of thy grace, The shadow of thy guardian wing, Or shining of thy face. For all their sorrows here below Be boundless joy and peace; For all their love, a heavenly glow That nevermore shall cease. O Lord of souls! when ours shall part, To try the farther birth, Let faith go journeying with the heart To those we loved on earth. AMEN. 479. Our lost ones come again. Dear thoughts that once our union made, Death does not disallow: Nathaniel L. Frothingham We prayed for them while here they stayed, Our Father, give them perfect day, Oh, pity, if they went astray, "Seeing that we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses." ANOTHER hand is beckoning us, Another call is given; And glows once more with angel-steps The path which reaches heaven. Alone unto our Father's will One thought hath reconciled; That he whose love exceedeth ours Hath taken home his child. |