Weep, little children, weep

Representative Text

Weep, little children, weep,
A father gone before;
For those who loved to see his face,
Shall see his face no more.

Yet all whom once he taught
To sit at Jesus' feet,
And seek the blessedness he sought,
May him in glory meet.

Mourn, youths and maidens, mourn,
Whom like a flock he led
To living streams from Christ the rock,
And in green pastures fed.

Walk in his footsteps here,
So, in the heavenly fold,
When the chief Shepherd shall appear,
Be you with Him enroll'd.

Grieve, fellow teachers, grieve;
With you he bore the Cross,
And gladly, for a crown of life,
Accounted all things loss.

Think with what power he spake,
While tears his words outran,
As though his very heart would break
With love to God and man.

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His eye, his voice, his hand,
Still marshal you along;
A fearless, firm, united band,
Quit you like men,--be strong!

Strong in the Lord was he,
And valiant for the truth;
Go, train your little ones to be,
Christ's soldiers from their youth.

Sacred Poems and Hymns

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Author: James Montgomery

James Montgomery (b. Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland, 1771; d. Sheffield, Yorkshire, England, 1854), the son of Moravian parents who died on a West Indies mission field while he was in boarding school, Montgomery inherited a strong religious bent, a passion for missions, and an independent mind. He was editor of the Sheffield Iris (1796-1827), a newspaper that sometimes espoused radical causes. Montgomery was imprisoned briefly when he printed a song that celebrated the fall of the Bastille and again when he described a riot in Sheffield that reflected unfavorably on a military commander. He also protested against slavery, the lot of boy chimney sweeps, and lotteries. Associated with Christians of various persuasions, Montgomery supported missio… Go to person page >

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