Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
Ecclesiastes 12:7
Words: From the Scottish Translations and Paraphrases, 1781. Variously attributed to James Logan & Michael Bruce.
Music: Hursley Katholisches Gesangbuch (Vienna, 1774). Adapted from the Metrical Psalter, 1855 (🔊 pdf nwc).
The hour of my departure’s come,
I hear the voice that calls me home;
At last, O Lord, let trouble cease,
Now let Thy servant die in peace!
Not in mine innocence I trust;
I bow before Thee in the dust,
And through my Savior’s blood alone
I look for mercy at Thy throne.
I leave the world without a tear,
Save for the friends I held so dear;
To heal their sorrows, Lord, descend,
And to the friendless prove a friend.
I come, I come at Thy command,
I yield my spirit to Thy hand!
Stretch forth Thy everlasting arms,
And shield me in the last alarms.
The hour of my departure’s come,
I hear the voice that calls me home;
At last, O Lord, let trouble cease,
Now let Thy servant die in peace!