Time and Eternity

It is not time that flies

Author: Horatius Bonar (1865)
Tune: [It is not time that flies]
Published in 6 hymnals

Audio files: MIDI

Representative Text

1 It is not time that flies;
‘Tis we, ‘tis we are flying.
It is not life that dies;
‘Tis we, ‘tis we are dying.
Time and eternity are one;
Time is eternity begun;
Time changes, but without decay;
‘Tis we alone who pass away.

2 It is not truth that flies;
‘Tis we, ‘tis we are flying.
It is not faith that dies;
‘Tis we, ‘tis we are dying.
O ever-during Faith and Truth,
Whose youth is age, whose age is youth,
Twin stars of immortality,
Ye cannot perish from the sky.

3 It is not hope that flies;
‘Tis we, ‘tis we are flying.
It is not hope that dies;
‘Tis we, ‘tis we are dying.
Ye streams that have in heav’n your birth,
Ye glide in gentle joy through earth;
We fade like flow’re beside you sown,—
Ye are still flowing, flowing on.

4 Yet we but die to live,
It is from death we’re flying.
Forever lives our life;
For us there is no dying:
We die but as the spring-time dies,
In summer’s golden joy to rise.
These be our days of vernal bloom;
Our harvest is beyond the tomb.

Source: The Helper in Sacred Song: for Sunday-schools, churches, and devotional services #155

Author: Horatius Bonar

Horatius Bonar was born at Edinburgh, in 1808. His education was obtained at the High School, and the University of his native city. He was ordained to the ministry, in 1837, and since then has been pastor at Kelso. In 1843, he joined the Free Church of Scotland. His reputation as a religious writer was first gained on the publication of the "Kelso Tracts," of which he was the author. He has also written many other prose works, some of which have had a very large circulation. Nor is he less favorably known as a religious poet and hymn-writer. The three series of "Hymns of Faith and Hope," have passed through several editions. --Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, M.A. 1872… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: It is not time that flies
Title: Time and Eternity
Author: Horatius Bonar (1865)
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Timeline

Instances

Instances (1 - 6 of 6)
Page Scan

Hymns of Faith and Hope (2nd series) #81

Page Scan

Hymns of the Ages (3rd series) #278

TextPage Scan

Joyful Songs #145

TextAudioPage Scan

The Helper in Sacred Song #155

The Revival Helper #110

Page Scan

Winning Songs #127

Suggestions or corrections? Contact us