Death! 'Tis a melancholy day

1 Death! 'Tis a melancholy day,
To those that have no God,
When the poor soul is forced away
To seek her last abode.

2 In vain to heaven she lifts her eyes,
But guilt, a heavy chain,
Still drags her downward from the skies,
To darkness, fire and pain.

3 Awake and mourn, ye heirs of hell,
Let stubborn sinners fear;
You must be driven from earth and dwell
A long for ever there.

4 See how the pit gapes wide for you,
And flashes in your face;
And thou, my soul, look downwards too,
And sing recovering grace,

5 He is a God of sovereign grace
That promised heaven to me;
And taught my thoughts to soar above,
Where happy spirits be.

6 Prepare me, Lord, for thy right hand,
Then come the joyful day,
Come death and some celestial band,
To bear my soul away.

The Christian's duty, exhibited in a series of hymns, 1791

• MIDI file from The Southern Harmony #119