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Soon shall this earthly frame, dissolved

Representative Text

1 Soon shall this earthly frame, dissolv'd,
in death and ruins lie;
but better mansions wait the just,
prepar'd above the sky.
2 An house eternal, built by God,
shall lodge the holy mind;
When once those prison-walls have fall’n
by which ‘tis now confined.

3 Hence, burden'd with a weight of clay,
we groan beneath the load,
waiting the hour which sets us free,
and brings us home to God.
4 We know, that when the soul, uncloth'd,
shall from this body fly,
’twill animate a purer frame
with life that cannot die.

5 Such are the hopes that cheer the just;
these hopes their God hath giv’n;
his Spirit is the earnest now,
and seals their souls for heav’n.
6 We walk by faith of joys to come,
faith grounded on his word;
but while this body is our home,
we mourn an absent Lord.

7 What faith rejoices to believe,
we long and pant to see;
we would be absent from the flesh,
and present, Lord! with thee.
8 But still, or here, or going hence,
to this our labours tend,
that, in his service spent, our life
may in his favour end.

9 For, Lo! before the Son, as judge,
th’ assembled world shall stand,
to take the punishment or prize
from his unerring hand.
10 Impartial retributions then
our different lives await;
our present actions, good or bad,
shall fix our future fate.

Source: The Irish Presbyterian Hymnbook #R51a

Text Information

First Line: Soon shall this earthly frame, dissolved
Meter: 8.6.8.6
Copyright: Public Domain

Notes

Soon shall this earthly frame, dissolv'd. [The Resurrection.] This paraphrase of 2 Cor. v. 1-11 first appeared in the Draft of the Scottish Translations and Paraphrases, in 1745, and was repeated in the Draft of 1751. In the authorized issue of the Translations and Paraphrases, of 1781, No. 51, several alterations were introduced into the text by W. Cameron. Of this paraphrase, sts. v.-vii., are from I. Watts's "There is a house not made with hands" (Hymns & Sacred Songs, 1709, iii.—v.), somewhat altered. Possibly some of the remaining stanzas may have been suggested by other hymns by Watts on kindred subjects, as, for example, Book i. No. 100; and Book ii., No. 61, in the Hymns & Sacred Songs, 1709; but the similarity between these hymns and this paraphrase is very slight.

-- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Tune

ST. PETER (Reinagle)

Composed by Alexander R. Reinagle (b. Brighton, Sussex, England, 1799; d. Kidlington, Oxfordshire, England, 1877), ST. PETER was published as a setting for Psalm 118 in Reinagle's Psalm Tunes for the Voice and Pianoforte (c. 1836). The tune first appeared with Newton's text in Hymns Ancient and Mode…

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ST. LEONARD (Smart)


Timeline

Instances

Instances (1 - 2 of 2)
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The Irish Presbyterian Hymnbook #R51a

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The Irish Presbyterian Hymnbook #R51b

Include 7 pre-1979 instances
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