When bending o’er the brink of life,
My trembling soul shall stand;
I wait to pass death’s awful flood,
Great God, at Thy command!

When weeping friends surround my bed,
And close my sightless eyes,
When shattered by the weight of years
This broken body lies—

When every long loved scene of life
Stands rea­dy to depart,
When that last sigh which shakes the frame
Shall rend this bursting heart—

O, Thou great source of joy supreme,
Whose arm alone can save,
Dispel the darkness that surrounds
The entrance to the grave!

Lay Thy supporting gentle hand
Beneath my sinking head;
And with a ray of love divine,
Illume my dying bed!

I lean on Thy dear faithful breast
As I resign my breath!
And in Thy fond embraces, lose
The bitterness of death!