The Cyber Hymnal ‎#17063

17063. With Silence Only as Their Benediction

1. With si­lence on­ly as their be­ne­dic­tion,
God’s an­gels come
Where, in the sha­dow of a great af­flict­ion,
The soul sits dumb!
Yet, would I say what thy own heart ap­prov­eth:
Our Fa­ther’s will,
Calling to Him the dear ones whom He lov­eth,
Is mer­cy still.

2. Not up­on thee or thine the so­lemn an­gel
Hath ev­il wrought:
The fu­ne­ral an­them is a glad evan­gel—
The good die not!
God calls our loved ones, but we lose not whol­ly
What He hath giv­en;
They live on earth, in thought and deed, as tru­ly
As in His hea­ven.

Text Information

• First Line: With silence only as their benediction
• Title: With Silence Only as Their Benediction
• Author: John G. Whittier (1845)
• Meter: 11.4.11.4 D
• Language: English
• Source: This is a cento from John G. Whittier's 1845 poem "To My Friend on the Death of His Sister." It appeared in Voices of Freedom, sixth edition (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, et alibi: Thomas S. Cavender, 1846), pages 160-62

Tune Information

• Name: GOD'S ANGELS
• Composer: J. Hyatt Brewer
• Meter: 11.4.11.4 D
• Key: B♭ Major
• Source: In The Academic Hymnal (New York: G. Schirmer, 1899), number 36