3 Cast thy guilty soul on Him,
Find Him mighty to redeem:
At His feet thy burden lay,
Look thy doubts and cares away:
Now, by faith, the Son embrace,
Plead His promise, trust His grace.

4 Lord, Thy arm must be revealed,
Ere I can by faith be healed:
Since I scarce can look to Thee,
Cast a gracious eye on me:
At Thy feet myself I lay:

Shine, O shine my fears away!

Augustus M. Toplady. 1759,

185

EASTER EVE.

LL is o'er, the pain, the sorrow,

A Human taunts and Satan's spite;

Death shall be despoiled to-morrow
Of the prey he grasps to-night;
Yet once more, to seal his doom,
Christ must sleep within the tomb.
2 Fierce and deadly was the anguish
Which on yonder Cross He bore;
How did soul and body languish
Till the toil of death was o'er !
But that toil, so fierce and dread,
Bruised and crushed the serpent's head.

3 Close and still the cell that holds Him,
While in brief repose He lies:
Deep the slumber that enfolds Him,
Veiled awhile from mortal eyes;

Slumber such as needs must be
After hard-won victory.

8.7.7.7.

4 We this night with plaintive voicing
Chant His requiem soft and low;
Loftier strains of loud rejoicing

From to-morrow's harp shall flow:
Death and hell at length are slain,
Christ hath triumphed, Christ doth reign.

John Moultrie. 1836. a

186

So ruhest Du.

REST of the weary! Thou

Thyself art resting now,

Where lowly in Thy sepulchre Thou liest;
From out her deathly sleep

My soul doth start, to weep

6.6.11.

So sad a wonder, that Thou, Saviour, diest!

2 Thy bitter anguish o'er,

3

To this dark tomb they bore

Thee, Life of life-Thee, Lord of all creation! The hollow rocky cave

Must serve Thee for a grave,

Who wast Thyself the Rock of our salvation!

O Prince of Life! I know

That when I too lie low,

Thou wilt at last my soul from death awaken: Wherefore I will not shrink

From the grave's awful brink;

The heart that trusts in Thee shall ne'er be shaken.

Is but a narrow room,

Where I may rest in peace, from sorrow free. Thy Death shall give me power

To cry in that dark hour,

O Death! O Grave! where is your victory?

5

The grave can naught destroy;
Only the flesh can die,

And e'en the body triumphs o'er decay:
Clothed by Thy wondrous might

In robes of dazzling light,

This flesh shall burst the grave at that Last Day.

6 My Jesus, day by day,
Help me to watch and pray,

Beside the tomb where in my heart Thou'rt laid.
Thy bitter Death shall be

My constant memory,

My guide at last into death's awful shade.

Salomo Franck. 1685.

Tr. Catherine Winkworth. 1855.

187

C. M.

JESUS, Thy soul, for ever blest,
Hath gone among the dead,

And to his peaceful place of rest
The dying thief hath led.

2 And all for us; that when, ere long,
We shall resign our breath,
We may not fear to go among
The unseen shades of death.

3 In death's dark vale I soon must be,
But I will nothing fear;

188

Thy rod and staff will comfort me;
Thou hast Thyself been there.

Isaac Williams. 1842. a

Der Du, Herr Jesu, Ruh und Rast.

L. M.

ORD Jesus, Who, our souls to save,

Lidst rest and slumber in the grave,

Now grant us all in Thee to rest,

And here to live as seems Thee best.

5

Jesus lives! henceforth is death
But the gate of Life immortal;

This shall calm my trembling breath,
When I pass its gloomy portal.
Faith shall cry, as fails each sense,
"Lord, Thou art my Confidence!

197

Christian F. Gellert. 1757.

Tr. Frances Elizabeth Cox. 1841-64.

Willkommen, Held im Streite.

C. M.

WELCOME, Thou Victor in the strife,

Welcome from out the cave!

To day we triumph in Thy life
Around Thine empty grave.

2 Our enemy is put to shame,

His short-lived triumph o'er;
Our God is with us, we exclaim,
We fear our foe no more.

3 The dwellings of the just resound
With songs of victory;

For in their midst Thou, Lord, art found,
And bringest peace with Thee.

4 O let Thy conquering banner wave
O'er hearts Thou makest free;
And point the path that from the grave
Leads heavenward up to Thee.

5 We bury all our sin and crime
Deep in our Saviour's tomb,
And seek the treasure there, that time
Nor change can e'er consume.

6 Fearless we lay us in the tomb,
And sleep the night away,

If Thou art there to break the gloom,
And call us back to day.

gone,

7 Death hurts us not: his power is
And pointless all his darts :
God's favor now on us hath shone,
Joy filleth all our hearts.

Benjamin Schmolck. 1712.

Tr. Catherine Winkworth. 1855.

198

ATHER of Jesus Christ, my Lord,
My Saviour, and my Head,

I trust in Thee, Whose powerful word
Hath raised Him from the dead.

2 Thou knowest for my offence He died,
And rose again for me;
Fully and freely justified,
That I might live to Thee.

3 Eternal life to all mankind
Thou hast in Jesus given;

And all who seek, in Him, shall find
The happiness of Heaven.

4 Obedient faith, that waits on Thee,
Thou never wilt reprove;

But Thou wilt form Thy Son in me,
And perfect me in love.

5 To Thee the glory of Thy power
And faithfulness I give.

I shall in Christ, at that glad hour,
And Christ in me shall live.

199

ASCENSION.

C. M.

Charles Wesley. 1742.

PSALM 24.

UR Lord is risen from the dead ;
Our Jesus is gone up on high:

The powers of hell are captive led,
Dragged to the portals of the sky.

L. M.