Behold the Expected Time Draw Near

Behold the ex­pect­ed time draw near

The shades dis­perse

the dawn ap­pear;

Behold the wil­der­ness as­sume

The beau­te­ous tints of Ed­en’s bloom.

Events

with pro­phe­cies

con­spire

To raise our faith

our zeal to fire:

The rip­en­ing fields

al­rea­dy white

Present a har­vest to our sight.

The un­taught hea­then waits to know

The joy the Gos­pel will be­stow;

The ex­iled slave waits to re­ceive

The free­dom Je­sus has to give.

Come let us

with a grate­ful heart

In the blest la­bor share a part

Our praye­rs and of­fer­ings glad­ly bring

To aid the tri­umphs of our king.

Let us imp­rove the heav­en­ly gale

Spread to each breeze our hoist­ed sail

Till north and south

and west and east

Shall share the bless­èd Gos­pel feast.

Invite the globe to come and prove

A Sav­ior’s con­des­cend­ing love

And hum­bly fall be­fore His feet

Assured they shall ac­cept­ance meet.

Our hearts ex­ult in songs of praise

That we have seen these lat­ter days

When our Re­deem­er shall be known

Where Sa­tan long hath held his throne.

Where’er God’s hand hath spread the skies

Sweet in­cense to His name shall rise;

And Tyre

and Egypt

Greek and Jew

By sov­er­eign grace be formed anew.