Flee as a Bird

Verse 1:
Flee as a bird to your mountain,
Thou who art weary of sin;
Go to the clear-flowing fountain,
Where you may wash and be clean;
Fly, for th’avenger is near thee,
Call, and the Saviour will hear thee,
He on His bosom will bear thee;
Oh, thou who art weary of sin,
Oh, thou who art weary of sin.

Verse 2:
He will protect thee forever,
Wipe every falling tear;
He will forsake thee, oh, never,
Sheltered so tenderly there!
Haste, then, the hours are flying,
Spend not the moments in sighing,
Cease from you sorrow and crying,
The Saviour will wipe ev’ry tear,
The Saviour will wipe ev’ry tear.

Mary S.B. Dan/Spanish

Pray, Always Pray

Verse 1:
Pray, always pray; the Holy Spirit pleads
Within thee all thy daily, hourly needs.

Verse 2:
Pray, always pray; beneath sin’s heaviest load
Prayer sees the blood from Jesus’ side that flow’d.

Verse 3:
Pray, always pray; though weary, faint and lone,
Prayer nestles by the Father’s sheltering throne.

Verse 4:
Pray, always pray; if joys thy pathway throng,
Prayer strikes the harp, and sings the angel’s song.

Verse 5:
Pray, always pray; if loved ones pass the veil,
Prayer drinks with them of springs that cannot fail.

Verse 6:
All earthly things with earth shall fade away;
Prayer grasps eternity; pray, always pray.

Rev. E.H. Bickersteth, M.A.

Peace! Perfect Peace!

Verse 1:
Peace! perfect peace! in this dark world of sin?
The blood of Jesus whispers peace within.

Verse 2:
Peace! perfect peace! by thronging duties pressed?
To do the will Jesus, this is rest.

Verse 3:
Peace! perfect peace! with sorrows surging round?
On Jesus’ bosom nought but calm is found.

Verse 4:
Peace! perfect peace! with loved ones far away?
In Jesus’ keeping we are safe, and they.

Verse 5:
Peace! perfect peace! our future all unknown?
Jesus we know, and He is on the throne.

Verse 6:
Peace! perfect peace! death shadowing us and ours?
Jesus has vanquished death and all its powers.

Verse 7:
It is enough: earth’s struggles soon shall cease,
And Jesus call us to heaven’s perfect peace.

E.H. Bickersteth, Bishop of Exeter/G.T. Caldbeck, arr.

Hark! There comes a Whisper

Verse 1:
Hark! there comes a whisper
Stealing on thine ear;
‘Tis the Saviour calling,
Soft, soft and clear.

Refrain:
“Give thy heart to me,
Once I died for thee;”
Hark! Hark! thy Saviour calls:
Come, sinner, come!

Verse 2:
With that voice so gentle,
Dost thou hear Him say;
“Tell Me all thy sorrows;
Come, come away!”

Verse 3:
Wouldst thou find a Refuge
For thy soul oppressed?
Jesus kindly answers:
“I am thy rest.”

Verse 4:
At the cross of Jesus
Let thy burden fall;
While He gently whispers,
“I’ll bear it all.”

F.J. Crosby/W.H. Doane

Steal Away!

Please remember that this hymnal was published less than thirty years after the American Civil War. Most of the people using it would have remembered slavery. Today, such hymns are called “Black Spirituals”. I am posting these at least partly for historical interest and so have kept the original spelling and wording. The fact that this hymn is included at all, and not in dialect, was an advance at the time.

Preface/Refrain:
Steal away, steal away, steal away to Jesus!
Steal away, steal away home,
I have not long to stay here.

Verse 1:
My Lord calls me,
He calls me by the thunder;
The trumpet sounds it in my soul:
I have not long to stay here.

Verse 2:
Green trees are bending,
Poor sinners stand trembling;
The trumpet sounds it in my soul:
I have not long to stay here.

Verse 3:
My Lord calls me,
He calls me by the lightning;
The trumpet sounds it in my soul:
I have not long to stay here.

Slave song

Come to the Saviour Now

Verse 1:
Come to the Saviour now,
Jesus is here;
Lowly before Him bow,
Jesus is here;
Why will ye still delay?
Why will ye go away?
Jesus invites to-day,
Jesus is here.

Verse 2:
Come, ye whose hearts are sad,
Jesus is here;
He makes the mourner glad,
Jesus is here;
In Him the sad are blest,
He comforts the distressed,
He gives the weary rest,
Jesus is here.

Verse 3:
Come to the Saviour now,
Jesus is here;
Low in His presence bow,
Jesus is here;
Here ends sin’s weary road,
Here leave sin’s heavy load,
Here give yourselves to God,
Jesus is here.

H.L. Hastings/Geo.C. Stebbins

Christ, our Friend

Verse 1:
Christ, our Friend–His dear love brightens
Every path our feet may tread;
Gilds our darkest hours with sunshine,
Ev’ry grief with joy o’erspread.
Richest blessings without number,
Does our loving Father send;
How can we, for one brief moment,
Slight the love of such a Friend?
Slight the love of such a Friend?

Verse 2:
We will love Him–trust Him ever,
Till the dream of life shall end;
For His dear love faileth never,
Christ, our Brother–Christ, our Friend.
In the hours of pain and suffering,
We can lean on Jesus’ breast,
Hearing His sweet words of comfort,
“Come to me, I’ll give you rest,”
“Come to me, I’ll give you rest.”

Verse 3:
When we tread the darksome valley
There will be for us no gloom;
We’ll be safe in Jesus’ keeping–
His dear love will guide us home.
Home sweet home–all suffering ended,
Rest, sweet rest–which knows no end;
Rest with Him who sealed our pardon–
Christ, our Saviour–Brother–Friend!
Christ, our Saviour–Brother–Friend!

Mrs. N.W. Hine/Schubert, arr.

Come unto Me

The word “distressed” in the first verse of this hymn takes the older past tense spelling of “distrest” so as to rhyme with “rest” in the final line.

Verse 1:
Come unto Me, when shadows darkly gather,
When the sad heart is weary and distrest,
Seeking for comfort from your heav’nly Father,
“Come unto Me, and I will give you rest.”

Verse 2:
Large are the mansions in thy Father’s dwelling,
Glad are the homes that sorrows never dim,
Sweet are the harps in holy music swelling,
Soft are the tones which raise the heav’nly hymn.

Verse 3:
There, like an Eden blossoming in gladness,
Bloom the fair flow’rs the earth too rudely press’d;
Come unto Me all ye who droop in sadness,
“Come unto Me, and I will give you rest.”

Catherine H. Esling/Caryl Florio

Speed Away

Verse 1:
“Speed away, speed away on thine errand of light,”
Sweet message of Christ, in thy radiant flight.
The earth lies in darkness, the deep shadows fall
On sad hearts and homes. Oh, speed at our call,
Pierce the gathering clouds with thy luminous ray:
Speed away, speed away, speed away!

Verse 2:
Speed away, speed away on thine errand of love,
Go speak to the mourners of mansions above;
To the doubting bring peace, to the weary, sweet rest;
To the homeless a glimpse of the home of the blest;
Let angels and men Thy glad wonders portray:
Speed away, speed away, speed away.

Verse 3:
Speed away, speed away, let the shout peal along,
Triumphant in faith, and melodious in song;
Go, heralds of Jesus! the message proclaim
Christ liveth and reigneth, go forth in His name;
“Up! onward! let nothing your mission delay:”
Speed away, speed away, speed away!

Nathaniel Norton

Come, ye Disconsolate

Verse 1:
Come, ye disconsolate! where’er ye languish,
Come to the mercy-seat, fervently kneel:
Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish;
Earth has no sorrow that heav’n cannot heal.

Verse 2:
Joy of the desolate! light of the straying,
Hope of the penitent, fadeless and pure!
Here speaks the Comforter, tenderly saying,
Earth has no sorrow that heav’n cannot cure.

Verse 3:
Here see the bread of life: see waters flowing
Forth from the throne of God, pure from above:
Come to the feast of love; come, ever knowing,
Earth has no sorrows but heav’n can remove.

Thos. Moore, alt./Samuel Webbe