Scripture Verse

There were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. Luke 2:8

Introduction

portrait
Judson W. Van DeVenter (1855–1939)

Words: Jud­son W. Van De­Ven­ter, in The Ser­vice of Praise, by Lin­coln Hall et al. (Phi­la­del­phia, Penn­syl­van­ia: Hall-Mack, 1900), num­ber 165.

Music: J. Lin­coln Hall (🔊 pdf nwc).

portrait
J. Lincoln Hall (1866–1930)

Lyrics

By the qui­et wa­ters flow­ing,
In the bound­less pas­tures green,
Rest we, as the day­light go­ing,
Leaves a gloom up­on the scene.
Silently our watch­es keep­ing
Thro’ the shades of ev­en­tide,
O’er the flocks now still and sleep­ing
Undisturbed and sa­tis­fied.

Refrain

Sleep, gent­ly sleep,
Sleep gent­ly sleep.

One by one the stars ap­pear­ing
In their ne­ver end­ing flight
Tell us of the morn­ing near­ing,
And il­lu­mi­nate the night.
As we watch them come un­ceas­ing,
One re­mains to grace the skies;
So we look with faith in­creas­ing,
For the Star of Hope to rise.

Refrain