“Behold, the Bridegroom draweth nigh”
Hear ye the oft repeated cry?
Go forth into the midnight dim;
For blest are they whom He shall find
With ready heart and watchful mind;
Go forth, my soul, to Him.

“Behold, the Bridegroom cometh by,”
The call is echoed from the sky:
Go forth, ye servants, watch and wait:
The slothful cannot join His train;
No careless ones can entrance gain;
Awake, my soul, ’tis late.

The wise will plead with one accord,
“O holy, holy, holy Lord,
On us Thy quick’ning grace bestow,
That none may reach the door too late,
When Thou shalt enter at the gate
And to Thy kingdom go.”

“Behold, the Bridegroom draweth near,”
The warning falls on every ear:
That night of dread shall come to all:
Behold, my soul, thy lamp so dim,
Rise, rise the smoking flax to trim;
Soon shalt thou hear His call.

Let your lamps be trimmed and burning,
Lest your feet may go astray!
If you are the Lord’s disciple,
Unto sinners show the way!

Refrain

We’ll go out with joy to meet Him,
We’ll go out with joy to meet Him,
At the midnight hour;
If our lamps are trimmed and burning,
When He cometh, when He cometh,
At the midnight hour!

Let your lamps be trimmed and burning,
Let there be of oil no lack!
Be not like the foolish virgins,
From the entrance driven back!

Refrain

Let your lamps be trimmed and burning,
Burning for eternity!
Ready for the Lord’s appearing,
Whensoever it may be!

Refrain

Let your lamps be trimmed and burning,
For the midnight draweth near!
When the Bridegroom quickly cometh,
And we all His voice shall hear!

Refrain

Once, forth to meet the bridegroom,
At night ten virgins went;
Five lamps were trimmed for burning,
In five the oil was spent,
And while they slept and slumbered,
At midnight rose the shout
Behold the bridegroom cometh,
To meet him go ye out.

Refrain

Watch ye, therefore, watch I say,
Watch ye, therefore, watch and pray;
Ye know not the hour, ye know not the day
The Son of Man may come.

Then all the foolish virgins
Their need began to tell;
And all the wise ones answered,
Go ye to them that sell.
The foolish virgins hastened,
In darkness, fear, and shame,
The wise ones ready waited,
And lo the bridegroom came!

Refrain

Lord, Lord, unto us open,
The foolish virgins cried;
“I know ye not,” unto them
The bridegroom’s voice replied.
O Christians, learn the lesson,
Your lamps be wise and trim,
And when the Bridegroom cometh,
Go gladly in with Him.

Refrain

When descending from the sky
The Bridegroom shall appear;
And the solemn midnight cry,
Shall call professors near:
How the sound our hearts will damp!
How will shame o’erspread each face!
If we only have a lamp,
Without the oil of grace.

Foolish virgins then will wake
And seek for a supply;
But in vain the pains they take
To borrow or to buy:
Then with those they now despise,
Earnestly they’ll wish to share;
But the best, among the wise,
Will have no oil to spare.

Wise are they, and truly blest,
Who then shall ready be
But despair will seize the rest,
And dreadful misery:
Once, they’ll cry, we scorned to doubt,
Though in lies our trust we put;
Now our lamp of hope is out,
The door of mercy shut.

If they then presume to plead,
“Lord open to us now;
We on earth have heard and prayed,
And with thy saints did bow:”
He will answer from his throne,
“Though you with My people mixed,
Yet to Me you ne’er were known,
Depart, your doom is fixed.”

O that none who worship here
May hear that word, Depart!
Lord impress a godly fear
On each professor’s heart:
Help us, Lord, to search the camp,
Let us not ourselves beguile;
Trusting to a dying lamp
Without a stock of oil.

Will our lamps be filled and ready,
When the Bridegroom comes?
And our lights be clear and steady,
When the Bridegroom comes?
In the night, that solemn night,
Will our lamps be burning bright,
When the Bridegroom comes?

Refrain

O be ready! O be ready!
O be ready when the Bridegroom comes!
O be ready! O be ready!
O be ready when the Bridegroom comes!

Shall we hear a welcome sounding,
When the Bridegroom comes?
And a shout of joy resounding,
When the Bridegroom comes?
In the night, that solemn night,
Will our lamps be burning bright,
When the Bridegroom comes?

Refrain

Don’t delay our preparation
Till the Bridegroom comes,
Lest there be a separation,
When the Bridegroom comes.
In the night, that solemn night,
Will our lamps be burning bright,
When the Bridegroom comes?

Refrain

It may be a time of sorrow,
When the Bridegroom comes;
If our oil we hope to borrow,
When the Bridegroom comes.
In the night, that solemn night,
Will our lamps be burning bright,
When the Bridegroom comes?

Refrain

Oh, there’ll be a glorious meeting,
When the Bridegroom comes;
And a hallelujah greeting,
When the Bridegroom comes.
In the night, that joyful night,
With our lamps all burning bright,
When the Bridegroom comes.

Refrain

Precious soul, prepare for the midnight call,
“Be ready when the Bridegroom comes”;
For the solemn change is awaiting all,
Be ready when the Bridegroom comes.

Refrain

Oh, be ready when the Bridegroom comes!
Oh, be ready when the Bridegroom comes!
Will your lamp be burning at the Lord’s returning?
Be ready when the Bridegroom comes.

Like the virgins wise fill your lamps with oil,
Be ready when the Bridegroom comes;
Let not sin your faithful efforts foil,
Be ready when the Bridegroom comes.

Refrain

Then avail yourself of a full supply,
Be ready when the Bridegroom comes;
Never idle sit till your lamp burns dry,
Be ready when the Bridegroom comes.

Refrain

Then awake, dear soul, you’re in sin’s dark night,
Be ready when the Bridegroom comes;
Let your lamp burn bright with a clear, good light,
Be ready when the Bridegroom comes.

Refrain

Do not sleep, pour soul, till your lamp goes out—
Be ready when the Bridegroom comes;
Till the Lord returns with a mighty shout,
Be ready when the Bridegroom comes.

Refrain

Ye virgin souls, arise,
With all the dead awake
Unto salvation wise,
Oil in your vessels take;
Upstarting at the midnight cry,
“Behold the heavenly Bridegroom nigh!”

He comes, He comes, to call
The nations to His bar,
And raise to glory all
Who fit for glory are;
Made ready for your full reward,
Go forth with joy to meet your Lord.

Go, meet Him in the sky,
Your everlasting Friend;
Your Head to glorify,
With all His saints ascend;
Ye pure in heart, obtain the grace
To see, without a veil, His face!

Ye that have here received
The unction from above,
And in His Spirit lived,
Obedient to His love,
Jesus shall claim you for His bride:
Rejoice with all the sanctified!

The everlasting doors
Shall soon the saints receive,
Above yon angel powers
In glorious joy to live;
Far from a world of grief and sin,
With God eternally shut in.

Then let us wait to hear
The trumpet’s welcome sound;
To see our Lord appear,
Watching let us be found;
When Jesus doth the heavens bow,
Be found—as, Lord, Thou find’st us now!

Ye waiting souls, arise,
With all the dead, awake!
Unto salvation wise,
Oil in your vessels take;
Upstarting at the midnight cry,
“Behold, the heavenly Bridegroom nigh!”

He comes, He comes to call
The nations to His bar,
And take to glory all
Who meet for glory are;
Made ready for your full reward,
Go forth with joy to meet your Lord.

Go, meet Him in the sky,
Your everlasting Friend;
Your Head to glorify,
With all His saints ascend;
Ye pure in heart, obtain the grace
To see, without a veil, His face.

The everlasting doors
Shall soon the saints receive,
With seraphs, thrones, and powers,
In glorious joy to live;
Far from a world of grief and sin,
With God eternally shut in.

Then let us wait to hear
The trumpet’s welcome sound;
To see our Lord appear,
May we be watching found;
And when Thou dost the heavens bow,
Be found—as, Lord, Thou find’st us now.

The world is sad with hopes that die,
With joys that gleam and then go by,
And dim the mortal eyes that gaze
On setting suns of parting days.

Better the hope, the joy, the light
For spiritual heart and sight!
For they whose life is hid on high
Shall never part and never die.

They never part! that saintly band,
Heirs of the heavenly, holy land;
Whom God the Spirit hath made one
With God the Father and the Son.

They never die! the deathly strife
But ushers them to glorious life:
From their last enemy they gain
Their birth to bliss, their end to pain.

But woe to them whose hearts are given
To joys and treasures not of Heaven;
Their wild awaking is to shame,
The second death in endless flame.

O Jesu, teach our hearts to soar
And grasp those things which are before,
That after death our life may be
The immortality with Thee!