And Is the Time Approaching?

And is the time app­roach­ing

By pro­phets long fore­told

When all shall dwell to­ge­ther

One Sheph­erd and one fold?

Shall ev­ery id­ol per­ish

To moles and bats be thrown

And ev­ery prayer be of­fered

To God in Christ alone?

Shall Jew and Gen­tile

meet­ing

From ma­ny a dist­ant shore

Around one al­tar kneel­ing

One com­mon Lord ad­ore?

Shall all that now di­vides us

Remove

and pass away

Like sha­dows of the morn­ing

Before the blaze of day?

Shall all that now unites us

More sweet and last­ing prove

A clos­er bond of un­ion

In a blest land of love?

Shall war be learned no long­er

Shall strife and tu­mult cease;

All earth His bless­èd king­dom

The Lord and Prince of Peace?

O long ex­pect­ed dawn­ing

Come with Thy cheer­ing ray;

When shall the morn­ing bright­en

The sha­dows flee away?

O sweet an­ti­ci­pa­tion!

It cheers the watch­ers on

To pray

and hope

and lab­or

Till the dark night be gone.