A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for Publick Worship ‎#CXVI

CXVI. Can laughter feed the immortal mind

1 Can laughter feed th' immortal mind?
Were spirits of celestial kind
Made for a jest, for sport and play,
To wear out time, and waste the day?

2 Doth vain discourse, or empty mirth,
Well suit the honours of their birth?
Shall they be fond of gay attire,
Which children love, and fools admire?

3 What if we wear the richest vest?
Peacocks and flies are better drest;
This flesh, with all its gaudy forms,
Must drop to dust, and feed the worms.

4 Lord, raise our hearts and passions higher;
Touch all our souls with sacred fire;
Then, with a heaven-directed eye,
We'll pass these glittering trifles by.

5 We'll look on all the toys below
With such disdain as angels do;
And wait the call that bids us rise
To mansions promis'd in the skies.

Text Information

• First Line: Can laughter feed the immortal mind
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 1789
• Topic: Faith, Holiness and moral Virtues: Gravity and Decency
• Notes: Public Domain.

Tune Information

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