And now the wants are told, that brought
Thy children to Thy knee;
Here lingering still, we ask for naught,
But simply worship Thee.

The hope of Heav’n’s eternal days
Absorbs not all the heart
That gives Thee glory, love, and praise
For being what Thou art.

For Thou art God, the One, the Same,
O’er all things high and bright;
And round us, when we speak Thy Name,
There spreads a heav’n of light.

O wondrous peace, in thought to dwell
On excellence divine;
To know that naught in man can tell
How fair Thy beauties shine!

O Thou, above all blessing blest,
O’er thanks exalted far,
Thy very greatness is a rest
To weaklings as we are;

For when we feel the praise of Thee
A task beyond our powers,
We say, “A perfect God is He,
And He is fully ours.”

All glory to the Father be,
All glory to the Son,
All glory, Holy Ghost, to Thee,
While endless ages run.

My soul with rapture waits for thee,
Beautiful vale of rest;
My home beyond the rolling sea,
Beautiful vale of rest;
I long to sing thy pleasures o’er,
The glories of thy tranquil shore,
Where pain and sorrow come no more—
Happy vale of rest.

Refrain

Beautiful vale of rest,
Beautiful vale of rest,
My soul with rapture longs for thee,
O! lovely vale of rest.

Thy radiant fields and glowing skies,
Beautiful vale of rest;
Too pure and bright for mortal eyes,
Beautiful vale of rest;
Beside the living stream that flows,
The weary heart shall find repose—
Thy pearly gates shall never close,
Happy vale of rest.

Refrain

The joys of earth, how soon they fade!
Beautiful vale of rest;
Like morning dew or evening shade,
Beautiful vale of rest;
Yet, when we reach thy golden strand,
Our gentle Savior’s promised land,
We’ll sing with all the angel band,
Happy vale of rest.

Refrain

O! who would dwell forever here,
Beautiful vale of rest;
With joy, unfading joy so near,
Beautiful vale of rest;
O! may I live that I may wear
A starry crown forever there,
And breathe thy sweet and balmy air,
Happy vale of rest.

Refrain

Gliding o’er life’s fitful waters,
Heavy surges sometimes roll;
And we sigh for yonder haven,
For the homeland of the soul.

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Blessèd homeland, ever fair!
Sin can never enter there;
But the soul, to life awaking,
Everlasting bloom shall wear.

Oft we catch a faint reflection,
Of its bright and vernal hills;
And, though distant, how we hail it!
How each heart with rapture thrills!

Refrain

To our Father, and our Savior,
To the Spirit, Three in One,
We shall sing glad songs of triumph
When our harvest work is done.

Refrain

’Tis the weary pilgrim’s homeland,
Where each throbbing care shall cease,
And our longings and our yearnings,
Like a wave, be hushed to peace.

Refrain

Come, let us join with one accord
In hymns around the throne:
This is the day our rising Lord
Has made and called His own.

This is the day that God has blest,
The brightest of the sev’n,
Type of that everlasting rest
The saints enjoy in Heav’n.

Then let us in His Name sing on,
And hasten to that day
When our Redeemer shall come down,
And shadows pass away.

Not one, but all our days below
Let us in hymns employ;
And in our Lord rejoicing,
Go to His eternal joy.

Friend after friend departs;
Who hath not lost a friend?
There is no union here of hearts,
That finds not here an end:
Were this frail world our only rest,
Living or dying, none were blest.

Beyond the flight of time,
Beyond this vale of death,
There surely is some blessèd clime
Where life is not a breath,
Nor life’s affections transient fire,
Whose sparks fly upward and expire.

There is a world above,
Where parting is unknown,
A whole eternity of love,
Formed for the good alone;
And faith beholds the dying here
Translated to that happier sphere.

Thus star by star declines,
Till all are passed away,
As morning high and higher shines
To pure and perfect day;
Nor sink those stars in empty night,
But hide themselves in Heaven’s own light.

Up to the bountiful Giver of life,
Gathering home! gathering home!
Up to the dwelling where cometh no strife,
The dear ones are gathering home.

Refrain

Gathering home! Gathering home!
Never to sorrow more, never to roam.
Gathering home! Gathering home!
God’s children are gathering home!

Up to the city where falleth no night,
Gathering home! gathering home!
Up where the Savior’s own face is the light,
The dear ones are gathering home.

Refrain

Up to the beautiful mansions above,
Gathering home! gathering home!
Safe in the arms of His infinite love,
The dear ones are gathering home.

Refrain

Out on an ocean all boundless we ride,
We’re homeward bound, homeward bound;
Tossed on the waves of a rough, restless tide,
We’re homeward bound, homeward bound;
Far from the safe, quiet harbor we rode,
Seeking our Father’s celestial abode;
Promise of which on us each He bestowed:
We’re homeward bound, homeward bound.

Wildly the storm sweeps us on as it roars,
We’re homeward bound, homeward bound;
Look! yonder lie the bright heavenly shores:
We’re homeward bound, homeward bound;
Steady, O pilot! stand firm at the wheel;
Steady! we soon shall outweather the gale;
Oh, how we fly ’neath the loud creaking sail!
We’re homeward bound, homeward bound.

Into the harbor of Heav’n now we glide;
We’re home at last, home at last;
Softly we drift on its bright silver tide;
We’re home at last, home at last;
Glory to God! all our dangers are o’er;
We stand secure on the glorified shore;
Glory to God! we will shout evermore:
We’re home at last, home at last;

How sweet the hour of closing day,
When all is peaceful and serene,
And when the sun, with cloudless ray,
Sheds mellow luster o’er the scene!

Such is the Christian’s parting hour;
So peacefully he sinks to rest,
When faith, endued from Heav’n with power,
Sustains and cheers his languid breast.

Mark but that radiance of his eye,
That smile upon his wasted cheek;
They tell us of his glory nigh,
In language that no tongue can speak.

A beam from Heav’n is sent to cheer
The pilgrim on his gloomy road;
And angels are attending near,
To bear him to their bright abode.

Who would not wish to die like those
Whom God’s own Spirit deigns to bless?
To sink into that soft repose,
Then wake to perfect happiness?

If there be that skills to reckon
All the number of the blest,
He perchance can weigh the gladness
Of the everlasting rest,
Which, their earthly exile finished,
They by merit have possessed.

Through the vale of lamentation
Happily and safely past,
Now the years of their affliction
In their memory they recast,
And the end of all perfection
They can contemplate at last.

There the gifts of each and single
All in common right possess;
There each member hath his portion
In the Body’s blessedness;
So that he, the least in merits,
Shares the guerdon none the less.

In a glass through types and riddles
Dwelling here, we see alone;
Then serenely, purely, clearly,
We shall know as we are known,
Fixing our enlightened vision
On the glory of the throne.

There the Trinity of Persons
Unbeclouded shall we see;
There the Unity of Essence
Perfectly revealed shall be;
While we hail the Threefold Godhead
And the simple Unity.

Wherefore, man, take heart and courage,
Whatsoe’er thy present pain;
Such untold reward through suffering
Thou may’st merit to attain;
And for ever in His glory
With the Light of light to reign.

I’m but a stranger here, Heav’n is my home;
Earth is a desert drear, Heav’n is my home.
Danger and sorrow stand round me on every hand;
Heav’n is my fatherland, Heav’n is my home.

What though the tempest rage, Heav’n is my home;
Short is my pilgrimage, Heav’n is my home;
Time’s cold and wild wintry blast soon shall be over past;
I shall reach home at last, Heav’n is my home.

There at my Savior’s side Heav’n is my home;
I shall be glorified, Heav’n is my home.
There are the good and blest, those I loved most and best;
There, too, I soon shall rest, Heav’n is my home.

Therefore I murmur not, Heav’n is my home;
Whate’er my earthly lot, Heav’n is my home;
And I shall surely stand there at my Lord’s right hand.
Heav’n is my fatherland, Heav’n is my home.

Jesus, I am resting, resting,
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.
Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee,
And Thy beauty fills my soul,
For by Thy transforming power,
Thou hast made me whole.

Refrain

Jesus, I am resting, resting,
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.

O, how great Thy loving kindness,
Vaster, broader than the sea!
O, how marvelous Thy goodness,
Lavished all on me!
Yes, I rest in Thee, Belovèd,
Know what wealth of grace is Thine,
Know Thy certainty of promise,
And have made it mine.

Refrain

Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus,
I behold Thee as Thou art,
And Thy love, so pure, so changeless,
Satisfies my heart;
Satisfies its deepest longings,
Meets, supplies its every need,
Compasseth me round with blessings:
Thine is love indeed!

Refrain

Ever lift Thy face upon me
As I work and wait for Thee;
Resting ’neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus,
Earth’s dark shadows flee.
Brightness of my Father’s glory,
Sunshine of my Father’s face,
Keep me ever trusting, resting,
Fill me with Thy grace.

Refrain

Lord, I believe a rest remains
To all Thy people known,
A rest where pure enjoyment reigns,
And Thou art loved alone.

A rest where all our soul’s desire
Is fixed on things above;
Where fear, and sin, and grief expire,
Cast out by perfect love.

O that I now the rest might know,
Believe, and enter in!
Now, Savior, now the power bestow,
And let me cease from sin.

Remove this hardness from my heart,
This unbelief remove:
To me the rest of faith impart,
The Sabbath of Thy love.

Lord, on Thy returning day,
From common labor freed,
We are come to sing and pray
With felt returning need:
Come to seek our former rest,
Come to urge our old request.

Show us, Lord, the goal of life,
And give us heart to run;
Breathe the peace that follows strife,
Lest future work we shun:
Hearts that hasty time has grieved
Are by Sabbath calm relieved.

We would sing as in the rays
Of mercy ever bright,
Which endureth, to Thy praise,
Forever Thy delight:
Sing for happiness we know,
Or that we may happy grow.

We would pray as those who stand
Their truest Friend beside,
Whom He takes as by the hand,
Unto their God to guide;
By His power, and for His sake,
Fully us Thy children make.

Maker of earth, to Thee alone
Perpetual rest belongs;
And the bright choirs around Thy throne
May pour their endless songs.

But we—ah holy now no more!
Are doomed to toil and pain;
Yet exiles on an alien shore
May sing their country’s strain.

Father, whose promise binds Thee still
To heal the suppliant throng,
Grant us to mourn the deeds of ill
That banish us so long.

And, while we mourn, in faith to rest
Upon Thy love and care,
Till Thou restore us with the blest
The song of heaven to share.

O God the Father, God the Son,
And God the Holy Ghost,
To Thee be praise, great Three in One,
From Thy created host.

I am far frae my hame, an’ I’m weary aftenwhiles,
For the langed for hame bringin’, an’ my Father’s welcome smiles;
An’ I’ll ne’er be fu’ content, until mine een do see
The gowden gates o’ Heav’n an’ my ain countrie.

Refrain

The earth is fleck’d wi’ flowers, mony tinted, fresh an’ gay
The birdies warble blithely, for my Faither made them sae:
But these sights an’ these soun’s will as naething be to me,
When I hear the angels singin’ in my ain countrie.

I’ve His gude word o’ promise that some gladsome day, the King
To His ain royal palace his banished hame will bring;
Wi’een an’ wi’ hert rinnin’ owre, we shall see
The King in His beauty, in oor ain countrie.

Refrain

Sae little noo I ken, o’ yon blessèd, bonnie place
I only ken it’s Hame, whaur we shall see His face,
It wad surely be eneuch for ever mair to be
In the glory o’ His presence, in oor ain countrie.

Refrain

He is faithfu’ that hath promised, an He’ll surely come again,
He’ll keep His tryst wi’ me, at what oor I dinnna ken;
But He bids me still to wait, an’ ready aye to be,
To gang at ony moment to my ain countrie.

Refrain

My heart is yearning ever
To reach a place of rest.
Jerusalem, my happy home,
In thee my heart shall never
By sin or grief be pressed.
My heart is yearning ever
To reach that city bright.

Within its radiant portals
None ever sheds a tear;
God’s city bright gives all delight,
No grief nor wail or mortals
Is where the Lamb is near;
Within its radiant portals
None ever sheds a tear.

Their blessèd Lord and Savior
Doth rule and govern them
In peace and joy, without alloy,
For sin can enter never
The new Jerusalem;
Their blessèd Lord and Savior
Doth rule and govern them.

Behold the goal in glory,
Now shining from afar.
O city of the God of love,
Where no more earthly worry
My happiness shall mar!
Behold the goal in glory,
Now shining from afar.

And even I shall conquer
In Jesus’ Name and might;
Tho’ weak and faint, still as a saint
I’ll in the haven anchor,
Sweet haven of delight.
Yea, even I shall conquer
In Jesus’ Name and might.

Now the busy week is done,
Now the rest-time is begun;
Thou hast brought us on our way,
Kept and led us day by day;
Now there comes the first and best,
Day of worship, light and rest.

Hallow, Lord, the coming day!
When we meet to praise and pray,
Hear Thy Word, Thy feast attend,
Hours of happy service spend;
To our hearts be manifest,
Lord of labor and of rest.

For Thy children gone before
We can trust Thee and adore;
All their earthly week is past,
Sabbath-time is theirs at last;
Fold them, Father, to Thy breast,
Give them everlasting rest.

Guide us all the days to come,
Till Thy mercy call us home:
All our powers do Thou employ,
Be Thy work our chiefest joy;
Then, the promised land possessed,
Bid us enter into rest.

O sleepless nights, O cheerless days,
O sobs, that will not cease;
Be still, be still! kind are His ways,
Christ is the Prince of Peace:
’Tis well thy head, in throbbing pain,
May pillow on His breast;
Weep there thy tears like springtime rain—
He gives the mourner rest.

Toil bravely on, ’twill not be long
Thy bark shall plow the main;
Steer well; thy guide shall be the song
That rings from Heaven’s plain;
And watch thou for the gleaming lights
That shine across the wave;
They’re planted on fair Heaven’s heights,
The mariner to save.

Steer well! the harbor just ahead
Aglow with glory’s ray,
Will on thee golden luster shed,
From out the gates of day,
And waiting there are longing hands
That thrill to clasp thine own,
And lead thee thro’ the heav’nly land
Into the bright unknown.

Oh, strive thou well to overcome,
And clothe thyself in white,
Wait patiently thy welcome home
To scenes of glory bright:
The Lord loves those He chastens sore,
And binds the bleeding wound;
And gently heals the heart He tore,
That grace may more abound!

Whate’er my afflictions or trials may be,
I want to live faithful, my Savior, to Thee,
To walk as a Christian, my temper subdued,
And feel, through Thy mercy, in spirit renewed.

Refrain

Home, home, home, sweet, sweet home,
I know there is rest with Thy people at home,
I know there is rest with Thy people at home.

Though dark is my path in this valley of sin,
O give me the light of Thy comfort within,
To shield me from danger wherever I roam,
And guide me at last to Thy people at home.

Refrain

I want to be humble, resigned to Thy will,
In sunshine or tempest to follow Thee still,
Yet, lured by the tempter, how often I roam,
Forgetful, alas! of my God and my home.

Refrain

No parent so tender, so friend is so dear,
No voice like my Savior’s can banish my fear;
By faith in Thy promise to Thee I will come,
O, give me a place with Thy people at home.

Refrain

When shall I rise from this desert of gloom,
Beyond the deep shadows that darken the tomb,
In Eden, dear Eden, transported to roam,
And sing hallelujahs with angels at home?

Refrain

In the Christian’s home in glory
There remains a land of rest;
There my Savior’s gone before me,
To fulfill my soul’s request.

Refrain

There is rest for the weary,
There is rest for the weary,
There is rest for the weary,
There is rest for you.
On the other side of Jordan,
In the sweet fields of Eden,
Where the tree of life is blooming,
There is rest for you.

He is fitting up my mansion,
Which eternally shall stand,
For my stay shall not be transient,
In that holy, happy land.

Refrain

Pain and sickness ne’er shall enter,
Grief nor woe my lot shall share;
But, in that celestial center,
I a crown of life shall wear.

Refrain

Death itself shall then be vanquished,
And his sting shall be withdrawn;
Shout for gladness, O ye ransomed!
Hail with joy the rising morn.

Refrain

O why are you clinging to earth’s fading flow’rs,
Tho’ fragrant its blossoms and lovely its bow’rs?
The cold breath of winter will sweep them away,
Then why from your fatherland,
O why will you stay?

Refrain

Why will you stay? Jesus calls you today,
Your poor aching hearts for rest are longing still,
And yet in His mercy you may rest if you will.

O why are you dreaming of hopes that are frail,
That die like the leaflet when tossed by the gale?
The heart’s weary longings the world cannot still,
And yet in the Savior you may rest if you will.

Refrain

O why are you slighting the voice of the Lord,
Refusing to follow His life giving Word?
No love like the Savior’s your lone hearts can fill,
That love is inviting you to rest if you will.

Refrain

O why are you waiting when time flies apace?
Take heed that ye spurn not God’s message of grace;
O trust not the pleasures that charm to deceive,
But come to the Savior and, repenting, believe.

Refrain

A rest remaineth for the weary;
Arise, sad heart, and grieve no more;
Though long the way, and dark and dreary,
It endeth on the golden shore.
Before His throne the Lamb will lead thee,
On heav’nly pastures He will feed thee,
Cast off thy burden, come with haste;
Soon will the toil and strife be ended,
The weary way which thou hast wended.
Sweet is the rest which thou shalt taste.

The Father’s house has many a dwelling,
And there will be a place for thee.
With perfect love His heart is welling
Who loved thee from eternity.
His precious blood the Lamb hath given
That thou might’st share the joys of Heaven,
And now He calleth far and near:
“Ye weary souls, cease your repining,
Come while for you My light is shining;
Come, sweetest rest awaits you here!”

O come, come all, ye weak and weary,
Ye souls bowed down with many a care;
Arise and leave your dungeons dreary
And listen to His promise fair:
“Ye bore your burdens meek and lowly,
I will fulfill My pledge most holy,
I’ll be your solace and your rest.
Ye are Mine own, I will requite you;
Though sin and Satan seek to smite you,
Rejoice! Your home is with the blest.”

There rest and peace in endless measure
Shall be ours through eternity;
No grief, no care, shall mar our pleasure,
And untold bliss our lot shall be.
Oh, had we wings to hasten yonder—
No more o’er earthly ills to ponder—
To join the glad, triumphant band!
Make haste, my soul, forget all sadness;
For peace awaits thee, joy and gladness—
The perfect rest is nigh at hand.

Softly fades the twilight ray,
Of the holy Sabbath day;
Gently as life’s setting sun,
When the Christian’s course is run.

Night her solemn mantle spreads
O’er the earth as daylight fades;
All things tell of calm repose,
At the holy Sabbath’s close.

Peace is on the world abroad,
’Tis the holy peace of God;
Symbol of the peace within,
When the spirit rests from sin.

Still the Spirit lingers near,
Where the evening worshipper
Seeks communion with the skies,
Pressing onward to the prize.

Savior, may our Sabbaths be
Days of peace and joy in Thee!
Till in Heav’n our souls repose,
Where the Sabbath ne’er shall close.

There is a blessèd home,
Beyond this land of woe,
Where trials never come,
Nor tears of sorrow flow;
Where faith is lost in sight,
And patient hope is crowned,
And everlasting light
Its glory throws around.

There is a land of peace,
Good angels know it well;
Glad songs that never cease
Within its portals swell;
Around its glorious throne
Ten thousand saints adore
Christ, with the Father One,
And Spirit, evermore.

O joy all joys beyond,
To see the Lamb Who died,
And count each sacred wound
In hands, and feet, and side;
To give to Him the praise
Of every triumph won,
And sing through endless days
The great things He hath done.

Look up, ye saints of God,
Nor fear to tread below
The path your Savior trod
Of daily toil and woe;
Wait but a little while
In uncomplaining love
His own most gracious smile
Shall welcome you above.

There is a calm for those who weep,
A rest for weary pilgrims found;
They safely lie and sweetly sleep,
Low in the ground, low in the ground.

The storms that sweep the wintry sky
No more disturb their deep repose,
Than summer evening’s latest sigh
That shuts the rose, that shuts the rose.

Thy soul renewed by grace divine,
In God’s own image, freed from clay,
In Heav’n’s eternal sphere shall shine,
A star of day, a star of day.

The sun is but a spark of fire,
A transient meteor in the sky,
The soul, immortal as its Sire,
Shall never die, shall never die!

There is a Paradise of rest
On yonder tranquil shore,
Beyond the shadow and the gloom of night,
Where toil and tears are o’er.

Refrain

Meet me there, oh, meet me there,
At the dawning of that morning bright and fair;
Meet me there, oh, meet me there,
In the land beyond the river meet me there.

There is a city crowned with light,
Its joy no tongue can tell;
For they who enter shall behold the King,
And in His presence dwell.

Refrain

There is a crown laid up on high
That Christ the Lord will give
To those who patiently His coming wait,
And for His glory live.

Refrain

Oh, then be faithful unto death,
Press on the heavenly way,
That we may enter through the gates of life
To realms of endless day.

Refrain

There is an hour of peaceful rest,
To mourning wand’rers given;
There is a joy for souls distressed,
A balm for every wounded breast,
’Tis found above in Heav’n.

There is a soft, a downy bed,
Far from these shades of even—
A couch for weary mortals spread,
Where they may rest the aching head
And find repose in Heaven.

There is a home for weary souls
By sin and sorrow driven;
When tossed on life’s tempestuous shoals,
When storms arise, and ocean rolls,
And all is drear but Heav’n.

There, faith lifts up her cheerful eye,
To brighter prospects given;
And views the tempest passing by,
The evening shadows quickly fly,
And all serene in Heav’n.

There, fragrant flowers, immortal bloom,
And joys supreme are given;
There, rays divine disperse the gloom:
Beyond the confines of the tomb,
Appears the dawn of Heav’n.

Thine earthly Sabbaths, Lord, we love,
But there’s nobler rest above;
To that our longing souls aspire
With ardent love and strong desire.

In Thy blest kingdom we shall be
From every mortal trouble free;
No groans shall mingle with the songs,
Which warble from immortal tongues.

No rude alarms of raging foes,
No cares to break the long repose,
No midnight shade, no clouded sun,
But sacred, high, eternal noon.

O long expected day, begin;
Dawn on this world of woe and sin:
Fain would we leave this weary road,
And sleep in death, and rest in God.

To realms of glory in the skies
I see my Lord returning,
While I, a stranger in the earth,
For heaven am ever yearning.
’Mid toil and sorrow here I roam,
Far from my heavenly Father’s home.

Yet visions of the promised land
By faith my soul obtaineth;
There shall I dwell forevermore
Where Christ in glory reigneth;
In mansions of that bright abode,
The city of the living God.

In that blest city is no night,
Nor any pain or weeping;
There is my treasure, there my heart,
Safe in the Savior’s keeping;
In heaven, my risen Lord, with Thee
May all my thought and living be.

How blessèd shall those servants be,
O Lord, at Thy returning,
Whose hearts are waiting still for Thee,
Whose lamps are trimmed and burning;
Them wilt Thou take to dwell with Thee
In joy and peace eternally.

When winds are raging o’er the upper ocean,
And billows wild contend with angry roar,
’Tis said, far down, below the wild commotion,
That peaceful stillness reigneth evermore.

Far, far beneath, the noise of tempests dieth,
And silver waves chime ever peacefully,
And no rude storm, how fierce so e’er it flieth,
Disturbs the Sabbath of that deeper sea.

So to the heart that knows Thy love, O Purest!
There is a temple, sacred evermore,
And all the babble of life’s angry voices
Dies in hushed stillness at its peaceful door.

Far, far away, the roar of passion dieth,
And loving thoughts rise calm and peacefully,
And no rude storm, how fierce so e’er it flieth,
Disturbs the soul that dwells, O Lord, in Thee.

O Rest of rests! O Peace, serene, eternal!
Thou ever livest, and Thou changest never.
And in the secret of Thy presence dwelleth
Fullness of joy, forever and forever.