1 In vain my fancy strives to paint
The moment after death,
The glories that surround a saint,
When yielding up his breath.
2 One gentle sigh his fetters breaks,
We scarce can say, "he's gone!"
Before the willing spirit takes
Its mansions near the throne.
3 Faith strives, but all its efforts fail,
To trace the spirit's flight;
No eye can pierce within the veil
Which hides that world of light.
4 Thus much (and this is all) we know,
Saints are completely blest;
Have done with sin, and care, and woe,
And with their Savior rest.
5 On harps of gold they praise his name,
His face they always view;
Then let us followers be of them,
That we may praise him too.
The Hartford Selection of Hymns from the most approved authors, 1799
John Newton (b. London, England, 1725; d. London, 1807) was born into a Christian home, but his godly mother died when he was seven, and he joined his father at sea when he was eleven. His licentious and tumultuous sailing life included a flogging for attempted desertion from the Royal Navy and captivity by a slave trader in West Africa. After his escape he himself became the captain of a slave ship. Several factors contributed to Newton's conversion: a near-drowning in 1748, the piety of his friend Mary Catlett, (whom he married in 1750), and his reading of Thomas à Kempis' Imitation of Christ. In 1754 he gave up the slave trade and, in association with William Wilberforce, eventually became an ardent abolitionist. After becoming a tide… Go to person page >
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