Death

Representative Text

1 Ye bold blaspheming souls,
Whose conscience nothing scares;
Ye carnal, cold, professing fools,
Whose state's as bad as theirs;

2 Ye strong deluded lights,
Whose faith's too stout to pray;
And ye whom proud perfection cheats,
As free from sin as they.

3 The awful change, not far,
Dissolves each golden dream:
Death will distinguish what you are
From what you only seem.

4 Repent, or you're undone,
And pray to God with speed:
Perhaps the truth may yet be known,
And make you free indeed.

5 The hour of death draws nigh;
'Tis time to drop the mask;
Fall at the feet of Christ and cry:
He gives to all that ask.

6 Good Shepherd of the sheep,
Abolisher of death,
O give us all repentance deep,
And purifying faith.

Source: A Selection of Hymns for Public Worship. In four parts (10th ed.) (Gadsby's Hymns) #841

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Author: J. Hart

Hart, Joseph, was born in London in 1712. His early life is involved in obscurity. His education was fairly good; and from the testimony of his brother-in-law, and successor in the ministry in Jewin Street, the Rev. John Hughes, "his civil calling was" for some time "that of a teacher of the learned languages." His early life, according to his own Experience which he prefaced to his Hymns, was a curious mixture of loose conduct, serious conviction of sin, and endeavours after amendment of life, and not until Whitsuntide, 1757, did he realize a permanent change, which was brought about mainly through his attending divine service at the Moravian Chapel, in Fetter Lane, London, and hearing a sermon on Rev. iii. 10. During the next two years ma… Go to person page >

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